Devil May Cry: Remnant
by Streggae
Summary: DMC AU The Dark Knight Sparda and his Angelic Wife Eva were alive to raise their sons Dante and Vergil the two remaining Nephilms they adopted the half Demon Nero along the way. But when tragedy strikes Sparda and his sons fight their way through the demonic army swearing vengeance against Mundus However the three boys were sent to another world by Mundus.
1. Welcome To Remnant

**Author's Notes: Alright I would just like to get a few things straight in this crossover fanfic yes it is a RWBY/DMC/DmC fanfic. Don't dismiss this fic because of it just bare with me. Confused? Well let me give some reasons**

 **First of all yes I will be borrowing heavily from the DmC Devil May Cry reboot especially at the beginning because I believe that the game is awesome and makes for a good modern alternate universe prequel.**

 **I will include a younger Nero in this fic as a half demon who was rescued by the Sparda family. Dante will be (DmC) Dante but since he was raised by his parents he has some of the qualities of the classic Dante we all know and love albeit with a playful maturity. Vergil's attitude will be a mixture of his classic and reboot counterpart, classic when he is fighting and reboot when he is socializing. This is all because the impression Vergil gave me in the reboot game was that of a friendly guy who is truly fighting for the freedom of mankind from the reign of demons while connecting with his long lost twin brother. His actions at the end of the game were just complete bullshit and without a valid cause, if you played the game I am sure you agree with me on some level.**

 **Now then, no doubt you guys might be confused by this since I am basically merging the two Devil May Cry universes into one while placing them in RWBY's universe but please DO NOT DISMISS THIS FANFIC, I know what I am doing and it can make perfect sense.**

 **Now without further ado I Streggae Present Devil May Cry: Remnant.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Welcome To Remnant**

"What the hell happened to the moon!?" was the first thing Dante spoke as his eyes opened.

He stared at the celestial orb for a moment trying to take in this new scenery. After 2 minutes he was satisfied and turned from his back to brace his body on his arms. He looked around to see that he was surrounded by trees, mostly dead trees, in fact the only trees that had any leaf on them looked decayed.

He stood up and closed his eyes as he rolled his arms around, emphasizing on the shoulders. He then stretched his arms up and went on his toes with a loud yawn that followed. Finally he placed his hand on his neck then tilted his head to the side until a *crack* was heard.

Tilting his head to the opposite side until another *crack* heard he opened his eyes to glare at nothing in particular while rolling his shoulders.

Dante stopped and his expression became pained "dammit dad" he exclaimed in a whisper.

All the memories up to this point rushed in his mind, he tried to force back the memories which worked but the anger was still there and it wasn't leaving anytime soon. No he needed something to take it out on, _something_ to hit, no something to _kill_.

With a frustrated sigh he again glanced at the moon "whelp" he placed both hands behind his head "I'm not in Kansas anymore, not unless dad sealing the portal to the demon world meant the moon would explode" he remarked sarcastically.

"Might as well see if those two are ok"

After making sure everything is where it should be he dusted the grass off himself and began walking in the forest.

 _Approximately two hundred meters from Dante's location_

Vergil gasped as if waking from a nightmare, his once neatly combed blonde hair was disheveled and he bore more resemblance to Dante. Vergil immediately sat up and clutched his head, Yamato was held firmly in his grasp, even unconscious he would never let this sword go.

He glanced at Yamato and clenched it tightly "father" he whispered with his expression saddened.

That quickly turned into anger, he stood up only to immediately notice his bangs hanging loosely just above his eyes, which annoyed him.

' _How Dante never went insane from this will remain a mystery to me'_ He commented before reaching into his coat for his comb.

Vergil combed his hair back neatly, it wasn't the first time he had done so, he didn't need a mirror to know what he looked like. He completed his grooming by running hands over his hair to makes sure it was groomed properly. He swept his head back and coincidentally looked to the sky to which he was greeted by the permanently crescent moon.

Vergil's eyes widened and his mouth opened to voice a single "Huh?"

With that said he regained his composure and looked around _'this is not earth, the moon's composition tells me that much.'_ He thought as he looked around _'strange, it doesn't feel like the demon world, more like earth but there is something different.'_

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Vergil was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by a loud blood curdling scream as was Dante.

The two brothers looked off in the distance to where the scream came from only to see a purple glow brighten the dark forestry followed by a spike in demonic energy. As the two boys looked in the distance several howls could be heard followed by rustling and heavy foot falls headed for the strange glow. To the boys though only one thing came to mind

"Nero!" they both exclaimed before making their way to the half demon. Dante sprinted towards while Vergil continuously used short range teleportation leaving a dark blue smoke stream behind him before dissipating.

Meanwhile Nero was clutching his right arm, still yelling like someone was continuously stabbing him. The arm in question was radiating a bright purple, almost blindingly. Nero could see cracks in his skin then to his horror the skin starting to peel off into the air like ashes, revealing an even brighter light of purple.

Vergil came onto the scene but had to shield his eyes from the intense light, Dante swooped from the air and landed in a dive roll just a few feet away from Vergil.

"What's going on?!" He yelled while trying to block the light from his eyes.

"I don't know, I just got here!" Vergil replied

This went on for a few more minutes before the light abruptly faded. Noticing this, the twins cautiously approached a now unconscious Nero who could slowly be seen as the light started to recede from the source.

Both of them looked on in shock as the source of the mysterious light was Nero's arm. Even though the light was gone the glow never left and seemed to have gone through a transformation.

His arm was no longer human but demonic in nature: Nero's arm was now a red and looked reptilian, his fingers were now claws which glowed purple except at the base, his palm glowed purple while looking crystal-like, the back of his hand was also glowing purple at the middle, it went down in a line straight to his elbow while breaking off into thinner lines circling his arm and his elbow was now jutted out.

Both twins had their eyes wide, staring at Nero's new arm "What the hell just happened?" Dante asked turning to Vergil

The eldest twin regained his composure and narrowed his eyes "his demonic powers have awakened" he replied solemnly whilst making his way to Nero.

"Wh-" Dante was about to speak but stopped when something ran out of the forest in front of Nero and Vergil.

It was big, about 10 feet tall, it looked like a bear covered in jet black fur with bone-like protrusions on its back forming a spine. The most recognizable trait would be its bone mask with red tribal markings concealing its glowing red eyes.

Vergil and Dante watched on as the creature looked between them before setting his sights on an unconscious Nero who was the closest. It made a loud roar before charging at the boy, Dante went for his guns but Vergil shot towards it like a blur.

The creature didn't even notice as Vergil appeared before Nero with a death glare and lopped its head off. The head in question shot up in the air before it landed on Dante's outstretched arm, Dante was walking casually towards Nero the whole time.

He took a look at the head "never seen a demon like this before. Have you?" He looked at Vergil, turning the head so it was looking at him too.

Vergil shook the blood off the sword before sheathing its blade. He took a look at the head "no I've never seen a demon taking the form of an animal, although" he paused to look at the headless body leaking the putrid smelling blood "…this may just be a demon native to this world."

"So whe-" Dante was again cut off as another creature leapt out of the bushes and charged at him on all fours before lunging at his back.

"God dammit" the boy muttered irritated that he was cut off _again_.

While the animal lunged at him, in slow motion Dante tossed the head, his left hand reached for his back holster, he side stepped the claws and fangs, with a spin took out _Ebony_ and finished by shooting the creature in the back of the head.

The creature landed dead on the grass with a hole through its head and mouth. Dante walked next to the creature and rubbed the blood on his hand on its fur. Taking a good look, it looked like a werewolf to him with black fur, bones sticking out of its arms and back along its spine complete with a bone mask with red markings.

"So where do you think we are then? Cause this sure ain't earth and we agree we've never seen demons that look like these before."

Suddenly black smoke started rising from the corpse of the bear

"what's going on now?"

Vergil took a long look at it before replying "it seems to be dissolving."

Dante raised a brow "oh, guess they don't clean up faster than ours huh?" he smirked.

"That would seem to be the case" he humored before checking on Nero and sighed in relief, there was nothing wrong with him physically.

Vergil looked around trying to find something and spotted Blue Rose a few feet beside Dante. He motioned to where it was to him and Dante went for it while Vergil went for Red Queen next to Nero.

"It's a long shot but I don't think we're in the demon world, which means that portal Mundus sent us through may have sent us to another dimension." Vergil rested the sword on his back and it stuck.

"Well shit, that's just perfect." Dante's comment was filled with sarcasm. "So what's first?" Dante put the gun in Nero's leg holster and slung him over his shoulder.

"I suppose we should find some form of civilization and gather information about this place, hopefully we won't stand out."

Just then an ear piercing screech echoed near them followed by more howls and a roar. Whatever made that first sound was big and with the amount that followed after, they wouldn't be able fight them _while_ protecting an unconscious person.

"I think we should hurry, we're definitely not in a position to fight that many right now." Vergil commented.

Dante gritted his teeth, he _really_ hated running, especially when it's a challenge but a glance at Nero reminded him of the stakes and he sighed in defeat.

"Lead the way."

With that both boys sprinted away, Vergil wasn't entirely sure how long it would take them to reach their destination but his gut told him that there were people in that general direction. After 40 minutes of travelling and the occasional quick kill of those weird not demon things they came to two conclusions:

First those things didn't really _feel_ alive, whatever they were they didn't have a soul which all living things have even demons and second they seem to only be interested in attacking Nero for some reason and Nero's arm always glowed when they're near.

"This just keeps getting weirder." Dante commented offhandedly.

Vergil didn't comment but then something caught his attention, another presence that felt human but off somehow. They both slowed down and Vergil scouted ahead, he hid behind a tree and peaked to get a good look at the person.

He didn't want to take any chances; he doesn't know anything about this world and for all he knew they could be hostile. He observed as a woman was gathering what looked liked herbs which was strange since it was so dark. He then noticed that this particular individual has rabbit ears on top of her head.

"What the hell's taking so long?" Dante whisper shouted.

Suddenly her rabbit ears twitched and she turned around to stare **directly** at Dante who was hiding behind the cover of darkness.

"Who's there!?" She asked with fear in her voice. When no one answered she spoke again "I-I know you're there! I can see you!"

Vergil not wanting the situation to deteriorate placed Yamato against the tree and came out with his hands raised in surrender.

"I'm sorry we thought you might be hostile" Vergil spoke honestly, he could see that she was scared; he didn't need to make it worse.

"We don't want any trouble, I just wanted to know the direction to the nearest town or city."

The girl looked him up and down and visibly gulped "a-are you a-a Faunus?"

The term caught Vergil off guard for a split second but that was all she needed to confirm her suspicions

"Humans!" She exclaimed before running away

"Wait!" Vergil exclaimed right before Ophion was shot out next to him.

"We don't have time for this crap." Dante growled as Ophion grabbed the girl from behind and pulled her directly to him.

Vergil caught her and held the still shocked woman in place, she was screaming for him to let go and squirming. Dante could feel the anger boiling as he set Nero down, it's been a long day, he lost his mother, they fought the **entire demon army,** his father sacrificed himself, they ended being sent by Mundus into another dimension/planet or whatever, not to mention those black, mask wearing animals with red eyes kept attacking and all he wants is some answers.

He stomped over to the rabbit girl pushed his brother aside and grabbed her shoulders to force her to look at him.

"LISTEN UP!" She immediately stopped when she heard the pure anger in his voice. Seeing that he got her attention he continued

"I woke up in the middle of a half dead forest staring at a shattered moon which I have no idea how **that** happened. For the past hour we've been running nonstop killing whatever the hell kind of demon those bone mask wearing **things** are! We have no idea where we are, what those things are or what the hell a **Faunus** is but I can tell you we aren't **human**!" His eyes glowed a fiery red with red veins cracking near them for a moment when he said human. "Now, do we have your **co-operation**?" He said the last words through clenched teeth and leaned in closer.

The poor girl was so shocked that she could only nod in confirmation.

Dante smiled "that's more like it." He let her go and immediately her legs gave out.

Dante backed away as Vergil shot him a glare but he was unfazed by it "what!? This was taking way too long so I made it shorter."

Vergil closed his eyes and sighed before directing his attention to the now trembling rabbit girl. He held out his hand to help her up

"My name is Vergil, he's Dante. I am sorry for my brother's outburst, we have been through a lot and we just wanted answers to some questions." Vergil gave her a reassuring smile.

"Brothers?" she whispered as her gaze shifted from him to Dante then back to Vergil.

She was surprised, their faces look exactly the same but while Dante in her opinion looked like bad news his brother looked like someone she could trust. She like most Faunus did not trust humans but the comment Dante made about them not being human peaked her curiosity.

She swallowed and reluctantly grasped Vergil's gloved hand and he helped her to her feet.

"What's your name?" Vergil asked

"I-It's Alice." She answered shakily.

"Alright Alice, will you answer our questions?" She nodded "good now first question, can you tell us exactly where we are?"

"Everyone calls this general area the badlands." Vergil looked deep in thought

"Why'd they call it that? Wait does it have to do with those things with the white bone mask?" Dante asked.

Alice gave him an astonished look "you really aren't from Remnant are you?" She asked still not believing it.

"That's what I said isn't it? By the way, what's Remnant?" Dante's words did not have any malice and Alice's jaw dropped.

"That's the name of this world isn't it?" Vergil spoke up and Alice nodded "what else could you tell us about this world?"

With that Alice explained to them about the four kingdoms, the Grimm and Faunus. She even told them about the wars and why she along with a small village of Faunus continue to live **outside** their 'safe haven.'

"I see, thank you for your cooperation." Vergil said and turned to Dante.

"Uh yeah, thanks" Dante shoved his hands in his pocket but Vergil continued to glare at him. Dante sighed and approached her "and I'm sorry for shouting in your face." His voice was unenthusiastic.

Vergil narrowed his eyes before casually walking over and slapped him upside the head. What followed was Dante shouting several profanities at him while he just ignored him and retrieved Yamato from behind the tree. Alice looked on in amazement at the comedic one-sided bickering between the two of them. She couldn't help but giggle at Dante's childish behavior

"Would you shut the hell up Dante?" A new voice caught Alice's attention.

She turned her attention to the previously unconscious boy and her eyes widened when she saw his arm. Nero himself hadn't noticed this or her and looked to Dante and Vergil who were staring at him at a loss for words

They continued to stare at each other before Nero stood up "okay I'll bite. Where are we?"

"Long story short we're on a planet called Remnant in a forest in another dimension crawling with weird demon like creatures wearing bone masks." Dante summarized he then glanced at Alice

"And apparently this planet has human/animal hybrid species called Faunus." Vergil finished and gestured to Alice.

The first thing Nero noticed was the rabbit ears and he pointed with his right arm "what the hell?" which made him noticed his demonic arm "WHAT THE HELL!?"

"Nero you need to calm down." Vergil warned.

"Easy for you to say!" he snapped back "How, why, what is this!?" He pointed to his arm.

"Stop being so whiny would 'ya." Nero shot Dante a death glare but he was completely unfazed.

"It seems to be a physical manifestation of your demonic powers." Vergil answered and hoped that his calm would rub off and not let the situation escalate.

Nero looked at them in disbelief before sighing "of course it is" he muttered before turning his gaze to the rabbit eared female "so who's this?" he pointed to her.

She promptly got up "M-my name is Alice."

Nero rolled down his sleeve before replying "the name's Nero." He turned to Vergil "So what now Verg?"

Vergil cupped his chin in thought "we need to get out of this forest and find civilization." He turned to Alice "Alice would you be able to give us a map or maybe point us in the direction to the nearest city?"

She shook her head "I'm sorry I don't know but I know someone at our camp who might be able to help you."

Vergil smiled and gestured for her to "lead the way."

"Can I have my sword back now?" Nero commented as they followed.

After securing Red Queen on his back he walked beside Dante who had his hands behind his head in a leisurely manner.

"So, anything else you can tell me about those bone mask wearing demons?" he questioned curiously.

Thus Dante went about explaining what Alice told them about Grimm, not much of the history just the parts that matter. Like how after killing them they evaporate into nothing after awhile, how their attracted to negative emotions

"You know come to think of it, those things were after you the minute you got that fancy new arm."

Nero glanced at his arm in disdain and after awhile came to a conclusion "if those things are attracted to negative emotions then it doesn't **get** any more negative than a demonic arm."

Vergil glanced behind at Nero and nodded "unfortunately it's true" he noticed how Alice's expression changed to worry.

"That's why we have to do this quick right?" Dante asked noticing Alice's ears droop down.

"Exactly" was Vergil's only answer.

The four came upon the small village camp, the homes themselves weren't anything extravagant and looked to made disposable but long lasting. Instead of just walking through the village and sticking out they decided to wait for Alice to come back.

"Tell me again why we can't go down there?" Nero asked.

"At one point the Faunus and Humans were at war, one that lasted years with heavy casualties on both sides and in the end the Faunus lost" Vergil replied. "The people of this village never forgot the cruelty humans showed during those times, that's why they choose to live out here instead of their kingdoms."

"Aannd" Dante continued "since we look **exactly** like humans it'd be a pain in the ass for us and Alice if we show up."

"Even in another dimension huh?" Nero stated to no one in particular.

After five minutes Nero's arm started to glow

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's happening!?" he asked clearly freaking out.

Vergil narrowed his eyes and Dante reached for Ebony and Ivory. Just then a pitch black fur boar with a bone mask jumped out of the bushes and charged at Nero.

Since he didn't even sense it Nero had no time to reach for his weapons and instead reflexively used his demonic arm to punch the creature dead center in its face. The mask broke immediately and the creature was sent flying through two trees and landed in a bloody smoking heap.

Dante looked at Nero "damn." He leaned in to Vergil "remind me not to piss him off anymore." Vergil rolled his eyes.

Vergil jumped up on the trees to scout out just how many caught up with them. He couldn't see much because it was dark but what he did see were trees, tall trees, swaying like something was brushing against them, something big.

' _Dammit! I thought we ha-'_ Vergil exclaimed but was cut short from his thoughts when a giant raven flew above him, it had the same bone mask as the others.

"Is that a giant bird?" Nero asked right before he had to take out Blue Rose to shoot a Beowolf, the specialized bullet easily ran through its armor mask for a clean headshot.

Dante was shooting Grimm that were coming at them "Hey Vergil" *Bang* *bang* "just how many are we dealing with?" *bang* *bang* *bang*

"I need to warn the people at the camp, I don't know what's coming but it's big and there's more than one them!" Vergil shouted still eyeing the nevermore.

"Spectacular!" Nero exclaimed sarcastically.

Vergil didn't answer he started rapidly teleporting to the village which the Nevermore seems to also be headed to. Vergil jumped and sent a flaming blue-white summoned sword towards the Grimm, it hit the mark and Vergil was instantly teleported on its back.

Before the nevermore even knew what was going on to react to the new presence on its back Vergil acted. He ran to its head, drew Yamato horizontally and twirled it in his arm once simultaneously lifting it before it was enveloped in red flames.

The young Nephilm then plunged the blade into its skull, then a small wave of explosive flames spread from the point of the sword through the head of the nevermore causing its head to explode.

The now headless Grimm began plummeting rapidly towards the village entrance. Vergil casually shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it, not at all phased by the force of the fall. Right before it crashed Vergil leapt off and angel lift himself further away from the crash site.

He gracefully landed just a few meters away from the dead Grimm and the eyes of the Faunus residence.

"You all need to get out of here now!" He shouted "There's a swarm of Grimm headed straight for this place!"

The Nevermore's body had already started to dissolve giving off black smoke. It took a while for the Faunus to let the knowledge sink in when an ear piercing screech alerted them to what was in the air.

About five Nevermore were in the skies and that's when panic ensued

"Vergil!" He heard a voice and turned around to see Alice running up to him "what's going on!?"

"The Grimm caught up with us" the expression of disbelief she gave him made his gut wrenched. "listen to me" he took her shoulders "Dante, Nero and I can handle them but you need to get your belongings and leave."

Hearing him say that he could handle the Grimm alone was unbelievable and his voice was unwavering when he said it.

"Go!" he said before disappearing in a blur of dark blue.

Alice looked around in the screaming crowd to find him in the pathway of a Nevermore that was swooping down to snatch a Faunus girl in its beak. Watch she saw was Vergil standing his ground calmly.

She was about to shout his name in panic but stopped when his scabbard lit on fire with blue-white flames. The next thing she was when the Nevermore was within striking distance Vergil drew his sword and the Nevermore's head snapped up causing it to fly overhead.

Then Vergil sheathed his sword and entered a quick draw stance and his scabbard glowed blue until he did three rapid slashes. She saw three blue crescent slashes pierced the Nevermore's neck until it was fully decapitated, the Grimm crashed into an empty house already dissolving.

Alice was speechless at this point she went to glance at Vergil's last location to find him gone. The pained screech of a Nevermore gained her attention; she looked up just in time to see its wings sliced clean off then what looked like something shiny blue shooting to another Nevermore nearby shortly followed by said Nevermore's head decapitation.

Alice was so caught up with what Vergil was doing that she didn't even register what was happening around her. That included an Ursa charging at her

"Alice!" a voice alerted her and she almost had a heart attack when she saw the huge Grimm just a few feet away, her legs immediately gave out sending her stumbling to her rear frozen in fear.

The Grimm stood on its two legs and glared at her before raising its paw to strike, Alice closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable pain of death. Instead she heard the sound of flesh being cut followed by a pained roar.

Alice opened her eyes and gasped, what she saw was the Ursa being impaled by four blew crystal like swords. The Ursa started dissolving, a clear sign of its death and the swords shattered but the creature completely vanished before it hit the ground.

Vergil landed kneeling a few feet in front of her with his eyes closed and his sword held out in his arm. He shook off the blood and rubbed the tip of his blade against the scabbard before putting the tip in then ever so slowly started to sheathe the blade.

He stood up when the sword was half way in and when the blade was just about to go in he stopped as if waiting for something then with a sharp *snap* the sword was fully sheathed not a second later did scattered body parts from a giant Nevermore rained down behind him.

A few moments later they dissolved and Vergil walked over to her and helped her up

"I thought I said get out of here!" he shouted

"I-I…you..tha.." she stuttered while pointing to the Nevermore.

He glanced back then turned to her with a confident smile "I told you I can handle this." He reassured her "now go!"

With that Alice ran but glanced back at Vergil who was covering her escape route by firing blue swords to impale the Beowolves around the fleeing Faunus.

Meanwhile Dante and Nero were retreating out of the forest as they were being chased by a giant scorpion. They didn't have enough room to fight it and from the looks of things it wasn't the biggest Grimm following them.

As soon as they were out of the forest Dante and Nero did a final leap and both faced the scorpion that was just five trees short of clearing the forest. Dante formed Rebellion on his back and held it in a reverse grip

"Hey Nero you up for a **slam dunk**?" Dante smirked.

Nero looked at him confused then looked at his demonic arm and grinned. "Hell. Yes!" He exclaimed and crouched down in a starting position.

Dante's smirk turned to a grin as energy began traveling from his hand through the blade to the tip of the sword. Just then the Deathstalker crashed through the trees into the clearing roaring at them.

Just then Nero dashed forward and Dante did three rapid slashes paused and did two more, sending five silver energy slashes towards the Grimm. The three hit its head making it block with its claws but the last two hit its tail more specifically just above the stinger

The golden stinger was promptly cut off but was caught by Nero's demonic arm and just like a star basketball player did a slam dunk, using the stinger as a ball.

"Slam dunk" the half demon yelled as the stinger pierced the tough shell and was plunged into the head of the Deathstalker, blood gushed and a pained screech later it was dead.

Nero noticed that his arm was glowing against the stinger and retracted to look at it. It glowed for a moment before it stopped

"huh" he simply stated.

"That was EPIC!" Dante yelled behind him.

Nero grinned and gave him a high five with both hands but a second later _another_ Deathstalker crashed through the forest beside the dead one and then another on the other side, this one twice as big. Then a swarm of Beowolves, Boarbatusks and Ursas followed.

They stared at them for a while before both simultaneously saying "shit!" before running opposite of each other to draw them from the village.

Dante released a spike of demonic energy to get the creatures attention while Nero's arm naturally gave off demonic power while in use. So the Grimm were split down the middle with who to go after.

Dante ran down the field while one of the Boarbatusks spun into ball rapidly chasing him. Dante looked over his shoulder and smirked he grabbed Rebellion and spun around while drawing the sword to swing at the incoming Grimm like a baseball bat.

"Batter up"! he yelled with glee as the broad side of the blade connected, there was a struggle for two seconds before he forced the creature back.

Dante turned the sword slightly so it would make a decent sized cut as the boarbatusk was sent straight into a Beowolf. The thick quills on the Boarbatusk' back sunk into the Beowolf as they were both sent rolling back.

Dante Angel lifted himself smack in the middle of the pack of Beowolves, all of them converging on the young Nephilm. He took out Osiris and charged it with angelic power making the scythe glow and with a spin he lifted into the sky. Any Beowolf that was not chopped into several pieces were sent ten feet in the air by the angelic power.

While ascending he quickly took out his guns and rapidly hot them in the air while still spinning, as he descended Dante whipped out Ophion's demon form to grab a nearby Beowolf. The Beowolf was dragged towards him in the air and was promptly cut in three different pieces when he used Rebellion to finish it.

Before landing Dante turned Rebellion into Arbiter and swung it towards the Deathstalker, sending out a huge swirling demonic energy reminiscent of the blade of the axe spinning rapidly toward its target.

Somehow the Death stalker knew it would be dangerous and used its oversized claws to block the attack. With a grin Dante descended and swung his oversized battleaxe on the ground ending a wave of destructive demonic energy. The demonic energy looked like a wave sinking and rising in the ground destroying or violently tossing away any and all Grimm in its path until it ended up 'splashing' against the Deathstalker.

This time the Grimm's claws got a slight crack as it stumbled back rearing its claws away in pain. As soon as its head was exposed Dante fired Ophion angelic mode to drag himself across the now clear pathway. Once he was in close proximity he changed Ophion back to Arbiter and rode the momentum.

"Yaaaahh!" with a battle cry Dante swung the weapon down **hard** on its **face**.

First there was a loud *CRACK* followed by a *Squelch* of flesh being impacted and finally a loud*SCREEEECH* of pain as the Grimm died. Dante didn't have time to admire his work as a Beowolf lunged at him shortly afterwards.

Dante dive rolled away to dodge the attack, he stopped on his knee turned to face the offender and used Ophion to pull it to him. He then turned it to Arbiter and spun to his feet simultaneously swinging as he turned. The result was Dante hitting the Beowolf square over the head immediately smashing it open and sending it spinning away until it dissolved into nothing.

With a smug grin Dante turned to the surrounding Grimm who eyed him cautiously. "So" he rested rebellion on his shoulder "whose next?"

The surrounding Grimm didn't make a move; Dante rolled his eyes "fine then, I'll just pick one. Now let's see" he pointed his fingers "eeny, meeny, miney, you."

Before any of the Grimm realized Dante shot forward and impaled the largest Grimm present, which happened to be a three meter tall Ursa, he then continued to impale it at great speed making a total of ten holes in its torso before finishing off with a spinning head decapitation.

The Ursa dissolved into nothing at his feet and the Grimm began to back up a bit in fear, Dante saw this and shouted "Next!" before attacking again.

"Dammit!" Nero growled as he dodged the Death Stalker's stinger.

So far nothing's working for him, first of all this one was _twice_ as big as the one he killed before and apparently it was smarter too. Instead of charging in like a mindless monster it allowed the smaller Grimm to attack then tried to attack his flank.

Blue Rose had no effect on its tough armor it even used its claws to cover its eyes so blinding it was impossible plus every time it even looked like he was aiming to shoot its stinger off it moved around so he couldn't get a good shot, rendering the gun virtually useless against it.

He slashed an Ursa, grabbed a Boarbatusk and slammed it **hard** on the ground killing it. Just then the death stalker charged, Nero blocked with Red Queen but that didn't stop him from flying back on impact.

Nero did a mid air back flip to right himself "great _and_ it's fast too."

He shot two more Beowolves before dive rolling from another of the Deathstalker's charge. He revved up Red Queen before charging with an exceed strike.

'Time to finish this' Nero thought as he delivered a spinning slash with flames coming off the sword.

To Nero's shock the Deathstalker blocked with both claws only leaving scorch marks.

"No" he said as the stinger came down on him.

Without anything else he raised his demonic arm to block, keeping his eyes open so it hit directly on his arm. The stinger came down and was stopped but rather than hitting Nero's arm it hit a giant purple spectral version of it.

This caught both of them off guard but Nero recovered and grabbed for the tail which his spectral arm did. It didn't wrap completely around the tail but it didn't matter, Nero yelled as he turned around and threw the Deathstalker overhead with ease.

The massive Grimm landed on its back revealing the soft underbelly meanwhile it was trying desperately to roll on its leg but to no avail. Not wasting any time Nero ran towards it and revved Red Queen three times and leapt over it and positioned the blade facing down.

Nero came down on the struggling Deathstalker in a fiery blaze with the battle cry "you're dead!"

The boy leapt out of the now dead Grimm and looked around at the Grimm who were thinking twice about attacking. He then looked at his arm it glowed a little and he thought about Dante's Ophion 'I wonder.'

Nero stretched out his arm and to his pleasant surprise the spectral arm came out and grabbed the nearest Grimm which was cut down when it was pulled within striking distance.

"Oh I'm gonna have fun with this."

 _Ten minutes later_

Vergil had all but cleared out the village with minimal collateral damage since they were the ones responsible for leading the Grimm to this place it's the least he could do. He stood at the far distance from the village, guarding the Faunus escape route

"Well" he began "at least they can come back for their valuables when all this is done."

He figured that Dante and Nero were fighting and that he was just picking off the stragglers or any that were airborne. He ran to the other side of the village to see what was happening and true enough they were done fighting and heading towards him.

He could see the three dissolving bodies of giant Scorpions and he couldn't help a scoff but smiled nonetheless. Vergil looked at his watch, apparently they've been fighting for 40 minutes not that fatigue had kicked in, compare to an army of hundreds of thousands of trained demons the Grimm were just warm ups at best.

"I guess you're both finished then?" He said while approaching them.

Nero had a smirk "yeah."

Dante shrugged "meh, they weren't even worth my time." He turned to Nero "seriously what took you so long?"

"Shut up your scorpion was smaller plus I don't have as much weapons as you do!" He spat back.

Dante nodded his head in mock disappointment "it's so sad ain't it Vergil. Little Nero here is blaming his own weapon just because he had a hard time killing an oversized bug."

Nero pulled out blue rose at the same time Dante pulled out Ebony and Ivory and it is at this point Vergil tuned out their bickering. Just then the sound of helicopters could be heard in the distance.

"You two stop fighting we have company." Vergil interrupted.

It's then that the two boys heard helicopters in the distance. They both glanced at each other before holstering their weapons; Nero rolled down his sleeves, no need to make it any more complicated. As the 'helicopters' came into view getting closer

*RRROOOOAAAAARRRR* A roar alerted them and they looked behind to see trees snapping down as something came through them.

The boys watched on as a 60 foot tall mammoth Grimm burst through the forest, it looked at the three approximately 100 meters from it. It made another loud roar before charging, each foot step creating a mini arthquake

"Dibs" Dante and Nero said simultaneously and instantly began glaring at each other.

Vergil sighed and rolled his eyes before grasping Yamato's hilt and stepping forward while drawing the blade slowly.

"We don't have time for this, the last thing I need right now is for that rescue team to deal with this or you two taking your time fighting it." Vergil stuck Yamato in the ground and a burst of blue angelic power enveloped him "so I'll take care of this." He finished as his coat and eyes glowed blue and his hair turned snow white.

* * *

 _A few minutes earlier_

Ozpin sipped coffee from his mug as he looked at the scroll in front of him. Two hours ago a strange energy signature appeared in the badlands outside the borders of Vale and shortly after a large concentration of Grimm began converging as if drawn to it.

It was brought to his attention by James Ironwood who sat across from him, although his colleague didn't want to be accompanied on this mission Ozpin insisted. The headmaster of Beacon Academy after learning that there was a small band of Faunus in proximity to the Grimm convergence wanted to be a part of this mission personally.

Although he knew that James was a capable general and his achievements were very well deserved he lacked a certain perspective outside of war. No doubt that while he led the charge against the Grimm Ozpin can lead the Faunus away from the conflict and protect them.

They both sat surrounded by soldiers in a bullhead that was just one of the 10 fleet now airborne and headed for their destination. It is still a mystery as to why so many Grimm are converging on such a small encampment; the council has a fear that the Grimm may have become organized.

No matter how farfetched the idea might seem the number of Grimm could easily number over 80 and the rate at how they are moving he fears they may arrive too late to provide relief effort. Of course for the council killing the Grimm takes priority over rescuing the Faunus inhabiting that area.

"Ozpin we'll be arriving at our destination soon so don't look so glum." Ironwood spoke with a sense of anticipation.

Ozpin took another sip from his mug and sighed, his stoic expression trained on the general "let's be clear James, we are not to harm or mistreat the Faunus in anyway, try and tell your men that before they reach the ground."

James scoffed "don't be so callous Ozpin; my men aren't as barbaric as you've been led to believe."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes at him but before he could respond

"Sir we have visual on what appears to be a group of Faunus leaving the area." The pilot said much to the surprise of Ozpin and Ironwood.

"Are there any Grimm in pursuit?" Ironwood asked

"No sir."

Ozpin and Ironwood looked out the window to see a crowd of Faunus leaving the area in a panic.

"Well there you have it Ozpin, the Faunus' are safe." Ironwood commented before leaving the window.

Ozpin was clearly irritated with James' nonchalant attitude but something didn't quite add up with this situation. How could there be this many survivors, with the amount of Grimm reported they should have been slaughtered but they don't look all that injured.

"We have visual on the village sir." The pilot relayed.

Again Ozpin was shocked as was Ironwood

"The village is virtually untouched" Ozpin commented.

"This doesn't make any sense, then what happened to all the Grimm!?" Ironwood yelled in confusion. "Scan the area again for any signs of life."

"Yes sir."

After a moment the pilot called back "sir we have three life signatures just outside the village borders."

"Take us there pilot." Ironwood called back.

In less than two minutes they came into view of the village outskirts, Ozpin and ironwood could make out three people and judging by their height especially the shortest they could be children. Just then a Goliath charged through the forest clearing facing the three boys.

"A Goliath!?" Ironwood shouted. "All units target the Goliath"

Ozpin didn't say or do anything he just watched the boys' reaction to it, they weren't panicking and when the Goliath charged one of them stepped forward to do something.

"James, wait a moment." Ozpin said suddenly to the confusion of the general.

"What are yo-"he was silenced by Ozpin again

"Just watch" he pointed to the boy who now drew his weapon.

"Belay that order men, I repeat all units stand down." James said while watching the mysterious boy now interested in what he would do.

They watched as dark blue surrounded the boy. The Goliath charged but when it was 10 feet away three giant blue glowing crystal-like swords appeared in the sky and impaled the Goliath in its tracks.

"What!?" the general shouted

Ozpin didn't say anything although his expression showed surprise but he calmed down quickly with a sip from his coffee. He watched as the Grimm struggled to stand but the boy raised his hand and another sword appeared in the sky, the boy dropped his arm and the sword impaled the Goliath through its head.

After a moment of silence to take in what they just witnessed Ironwood spoke "I don't know who those boys are but one of them possess a Semblance that can kill a Goliath as if it were nothing." Ozpin observed a bead of sweat going down his face.

Ozpin could sympathize with his fear, after all the Goliaths were the powerhouses of the Grimm world, having lived for hundreds of years, only veteran Huntsmen and Huntresses would risk a direct confrontation with one let alone a lone boy,then there was that Semblance, could it be a Glyph? If so he's only known Glynda to able to do that kind of summoning and even so nothing like those swords, they looked like...

"Send out the Atlesian Knights to apprehend them" Ironwood ordered preventing any further musings from the Headmaster.

Ozpin gave the man an intense glare "are you serious James!?" his voiced devoid of all calm.

"Oz" he began "this is my mission and for all we know they could be hostile are you telling me to send my living breathing men down there?"

Ozpin didn't respond but his expression didn't change, he took another sip from his mug and turned to the monitors that showed a first person view of what the androids were seeing.

* * *

Vergil sheathed Yamato and at the same time it snapped into the scabbard his body returned to normal. He turned to see Nero and Dante looking at him questioningly

"You think it was a good idea to do that in front of them?" Dante pointed to the fleet of bullheads.

"From what I've learned these creatures are the universal enemies of this world plus apparently there are people who posses powers as well. So hopefully we'll be able to pass off as one these people." Vergil finished and Dante nodded.

"So why are they sending out robots then?" Nero noted as six Atlesian Knights approached them.

The androids circled them and Ironwood spoke through the speakers "put your weapons down and come quietly."

Dante folded his arms not even intimidated by them "looks like your plan didn't work." He noted to Vergil.

"To whom am I speaking to?" Vergil asked

"This is General James Ironwood of the Atlas military." He replied

Vergil raised his hands in surrender and calmly stated "I think there is a misunderstanding, we mean you no harm. If you could meet us in person then-"

"We will meet once I have you three in a secure location." He spoke interrupting the teen, this earned annoyed glances from Ozpin, Dante and Nero while Vergil remained calm, on the outside.

"You know what" Dante piped up "screw. This." With that he shot the android squared in the face knocking out his camera.

A moment later gunfire was heard and four more cameras were down and for the last one its guns were cut off by Nero who kicked it on its back. The camera showed Nero with foot on its chest with Blue Rose resting on his shoulder

"Alright here's the deal 'General' you come down _here_ or we _leave_ and please send more droids, we could use the exercise, those Grimm were kinda weak. Until then" he pointed the double barrel to the camera "lights out."

A bang was heard followed by a static screen. Ozpin took another sip from his mug "well that was interesting." He tried to hide his smile.

James was close to yelling but saw that Ozpin was going to the door "where are you going?"

"You heard them James, either we meet them in person or they leave. It's obvious that they are not the least bit intimidated by your army and if they were indeed responsible for driving away a hoard of Grimm then we may be able to make powerful new allies."

With that Ozpin jumped from the bullhead, he fell 20 feet and landed gracefully not even spilling a drop of his coffee. Waiting in front of him were the three boys, from what he observed the youngest looking one was giving him a glare the older one in red had a smirk while the one in blue had a calm expression. He also saw that the blonde boy and the black haired boy looked the same, twins perhaps.

"You know for a general you don't dress the part." Dante noted.

Ozpin shook his head slowly "no I am not James my name is Ozpin." He stated while approaching them with a smile and an extended arm.

Vergil came forward and shook it "my name is Vergil this is my brother Dante and this is a friend of the family Nero." Vergil was cautious about how to address Nero since he never said anything about being a part of the family.

Ozpin saw the Crystal swords impaled into the Goliath and pointed "were you the one who did this?" he asked Vergil

"Yes I did."

"Showoff" Dante muttered earning a look from Vergil.

"We also drove away the Grimm that threatened the village."

Ozpin nodded slowly and looked at said village which barely had any signs of a battle taking place "with little collateral damage."

"Yeah that's because me and Dante were fighting most of them out here" Nero motioned to the outer field where Ozpin saw the corpse of one of the largest Deathstalker he has seen laying on its back slowly dissolving.

"I wouldn't really call it fighting, it's more like one-sided slaughter" Dante corrected.

Ozpin's suspicions were realized, they were indeed the ones who destroyed the army of Grimm, if he played his cards right they may have three new additions towards the fight against the Grimm.

"Tell me, are any of you affiliated with any of the four kingdoms?" he asked out of curiosity.

They glanced at each other and Dante shrugged "that's the thing we're not really from here."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow "what do you mean?"

"For starters we're not from Remnant" Vergil began "we woke up here a few hours ago and met a Faunus girl by the name of Alice who gave us bits of information on our surroundings. She was supposed to have given us a map so we could get to civilization but then the Grimm attacked so we had to defend the village and well, here we are."

If Ozpin was surprised he hid it well, all he did was nod and sipped from his mug effectively finishing his coffee.

"Well Vergil, I may be able to provide a place for you to stay with knowledge of Remnant and the Grimm."

Nero scoffed "by what, joining your stupid army? What are you Ironwood's second in command or something?"

Ozpin shook his head "no, I propose you enroll at Beacon academy a school for which I am its Headmaster."

"A school?" Nero said caught off guard "you're kidding right?"

"I guess it's not a 'normal' school?" Vergil asked.

"It is a school where we train our students into becoming the finest Huntsmen and Huntresses in fighting the Grimm."

Vergil held his chin in thought and Dante instantly caught on.

"Oh c'mon Verg you're not seriously thinking about this, I mean we don't need to learn how to kill these things."

"And what would you have us do in the meantime Dante?" He shot back "Obviously we're going to be here for a long while. Where else could we learn about this world?"

Dante was caught, as much as he hated the idea of going to school his brother was right. "Fine" he muttered.

Vergil turned to Nero whose brows were furrowed "whatever" he said.

Vergil turned to Ozpin "we accept your proposal Mr. Ozpin." With that they shook on it.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Okay time to clear the air Nero's Devil Bringer looks the same except replace the blue cracks with purple since he has direct connections with Sparda instead of Vergil. Keep that connection Dante: Red, Vergil: Blue, Nero: Purple**

 **Now I know I owe some explanation as to how they ended up there and I will admit I did write a prologue detailing the history of their parent's relationship and basically explained how things in this Alternate Universe works for DMC. But you what I said "fuck it" let's add some mystery to the mix, all will be revealed in due time and you will find out just as the cast of RWBY will so SUCK IT UP.**

 **I will say that all of my chapters will more or less be this long. With around 4 fanfiction going on, 2 that I update weekly I just did this because the idea was cool so I need breathing room for when school starts.**

 **Please Review Favorite and Follow, hopefully this would be the best RWBY/DMC crossover. Hopefully.**


	2. The Best Day Ever

**Author's Notes: Alright this story takes place during season two of RWBY so expect it to be non-cannon the more episodes we go through.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Best Day Ever**

Awkward, that would describe the meeting Dante, Vergil and Nero had with Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch. Vergil explained how they came to be in Remnant, leaving some of the details such as their parents' deaths or their fight with the demon army; however, telling them about their heritage was unavoidable.

Ozpin was very observant, he saw Nero's arm the moment they met but only enquired about it when the four of them were alone. Even though Nero didn't want Glynda to know as well and this was well placed because as soon as he mentioned it being demonic she kept a close eye on him especially. She also held her crop duster, which might be a weapon, tightly. Needless to say Nero was becoming aggravated with her.

Vergil was patiently waiting for Ozpin to respond as he was in deep thought and Dante was, well he was trying to hold in his laugh.

"HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he finally busted out laughing out of nowhere much to the confusion of _everyone_ present.

"What is so funny young man?" Glynda asked as her scowl deepened, he seemed to laugh even more while glancing at her.

"Hey Nero come here for second." Nero leaned in and Dante whispered something in his ears while pointing at Ozpin and Glynda.

Nero took one look at Ozpin who was knocked from his train of thought then at Glynda and then glance around the office.

"Ho-ly crap!" he exclaimed slowly in astonishment before laughing his face off.

"Alright, why are you two laughing?" Vergil asked partly curious mostly frustrated.

"Oh come on Verg you don't see this" he pointed at the two "Oz, Glynda the Goodwitch, ring any bells?"

Vergil's eyes widened in realization "Oooh" his brows furrowed with a small smile "you two are very childish."

"What is he talking about?" Glynda was running out of patience with the two boys who seemed to be mocking her.

"Well you see" Vergil began scratching his head not sure how to put it "in our dimension you two bear a striking resemblance to two characters in a popular children's fairytale."

"Excuse me?" Glynda wasn't sure how to react.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow "interesting" he said. "Well on to the matter at hand" he dismissed it making Dante and Nero's laughter faded. "Here at Beacon academy students are split into teams consisting of four individuals but I think you three might be the exception to that rule as judging by what I witnessed you may already be as strong as most fully trained hunters."

"Damn straight" Dante commented before high fiving Nero.

Unfazed by his outburst Ozpin motioned with his hands and Glynda walked to the boys and handed them small see through devices with a diamond center.

"These are your personal scrolls; they contain everything you will need to make it in Beacon academy, including your class schedules and a map of the school."

Vergil thanked him as did Dante casually and Nero reluctantly.

"You can follow the map on your scrolls to your assigned dorm rooms, classes start in two days." The boys glanced at their scrolls. "For now I suggest that you all get some rest."

They all got up and went for the door except Vergil turned back to say "thank you."

After they left Glynda turned to Ozpin who had his fingers bridged together.

"I don't trust them Ozpin" the man himself glanced at her "somehow I feel that there's more to their story than that."

Ozpin got out of the chair and went to peer out the window with his hands behind him.

"You're right Glynda."

"Then why didn't you question them about it?"

"Because everyone is entitled to their privacy Glynda, Vergil wasn't lying and if he doesn't want to reveal everything then he must have a reason."

That didn't sit right with Glynda but then again the fact that there are other worlds out there coupled with the existence of angels and demons made her even more suspicious. After seeing Nero's arm it made her believe them a little but what made her even more weary was when Ozpin told her how Vergil killed a Goliath with apparent ease.

In fact, telling her that they managed to kill a hoard of Grimm that number nearly a hundred without even the slightest form of injury or fatigue was outright ludicrous in her opinion. No, even though it would be a godsend blessing to have boys as powerful as them she would have to keep a _close_ eye on them.

Meanwhile the boys were making their way towards their dorms with Vergil leading.

"Man this place doesn't look half bad" Dante complimented while glancing around.

Vergil looked around "quite extravagant, I guess when training the only hope for survival they spared no expenses."

Nero had his hands in his pocket but didn't comment on the school, the only thing he saw was just another Fortuna except instead of demons they were learning to kill Grimm. Nero hated being told what to do especially by authority figures. On Fortuna they would constantly heckle him about how he fought, learn, dress…!

"Guys" Nero stopped behind them as they looked back "I just remembered, we don't have any clothes."

They looked at Nero in awkward silence the only sound being that gust of wind.

"Well shit" Dante finally said.

Vergil was again in deep thought but then glanced at Yamato clutched in his left hand.

"It's alright" he finally said continuing his walk towards their dorm room.

"What'd you mean?" Nero asked catching up to him.

"Remember what father told us Dante?" He looked to his younger twin "As long as I have Yamato I will always carry our home with us."

Dante's and Nero's eyes lit up in realization.

"You sure it'll work though? I mean we didn't leave that place in the best condition plus we're not on earth anymore."

They rounded the corner "didn't you pay attention to anything mother and father taught us besides fighting?" Vergil asked in minor annoyance "it can be accessed _anywhere_ using Yamato."

"We're here" Nero interrupted while glancing at his scroll then the door.

They entered the room which was appropriately large enough to hold four persons and as expected there were four beds. Immediately Dante and Nero lay claim to a bed and dragged them to opposite ends of the room. Vergil did the same with his albeit less hurriedly and moved the vacant bed as well, no reason to just leave it in the middle of the room.

Now it was time to get their stuff back.

"Alright you two, stand back" Vergil stated before drawing Yamato.

They did just that and Vergil swung his blade and a swirling blue portal opened making sounds of distant thunder.

"You two go in first" he sheathed his sword "after I go inside the portal will automatically close."

They both nodded before Dante pulled out Ivory and aimed in front before going in; Nero held Red Queen on his back and cautiously went in afterwards. Vergil took a look back in the room and went through, as soon he did the portal closed with a loud thunder clap.

Vergil stepped through the portal and immediately dropped down to what used to be one of the many hallways of the extravagant mansion. The place had an orange hue to it which means they were in limbo. The next thing he noticed was Nero waiting but

"Where's Dante?" he asked

Nero shrugged "don't know, as soon as he was out, he started freaking out about something and ran down the hall."

Vergil raised an eyebrow but didn't ask him why, he'd learn not to question some of the things his brother does since his impulsiveness knows no bound. So they began walking to their respective rooms to pack clothes if there were any left.

They passed by broken doors, cracked tiles and everything that reminded of the carnage they experienced just a few days ago.

"Dammit! Where the hell is it!" they heard Dante scream from his room.

Nero didn't even bother seeing what the problem was; he simply went the other way into his room and locked the door. Vergil decided to humor him and see what was wrong since his room was next to his anyway. Vergil went to the doorway and was greeted by clothes being tossed across the room

"What are you looking for Dante?" He asked

"Kablooey!" he said not sparing him a glance

"ka-what?" Vergil asked

"My shotgun" Dante finally looked at him "you know, the one mom was helping me with?"

"You mean the one that you left in the workshop?" Vergil noted and Dante immediately stopped what he was doing to look at Vergil and without a word sped out the room.

Vergil sighed and shook his head then proceeded towards his room.

An hour later the boys met where they began, Vergil wasn't really sure what would happen if they did it somewhere else so the best bet would be where they started. They exited the way they came and each boy began unloading their respective luggage.

"What the hell are those?" Nero asked pointing to the new weapons Dante has lying next to his twin desert eagle pistols. One of them looked like an ornate sawed off shotgun while the other one looked like a demonic tazer.

"These, my friend, are the newest addition to the Dante badass-enal."

"Lame"

"Screw you"

"Still didn't answer my question though."

He picked up the shotgun "this is Revenant my sawed off double barrel shotgun, use magic powered shotgun shells that duplicate with every fire." He picked up his other weapon "I call this bad boy 'Kablooey' it fires compact needles filled with my demonic energy that stick and they can be manually detonated by me, of course."

Nero would never admit it but that is badass, although he loved his two weapons he couldn't help but envy the diversity both twins have. While he loved his two weapons and wouldn't trade them for _anything,_ another weapon would be a nice change if only to add some diversity.

His gaze fell onto his demonic arm with his sleeves still rolled down, his brows unintentionally furrowed and Vergil seemed to pick this up and walked over to the troubled youth. Nero felt a hand on his shoulder his head whipped around to see Vergil with a concerned look

"Nero" he began solemnly "I know that your arm wasn't something you planned for but in my opinion it's better to make the best of a bad situation." He gave him a reassuring smile "besides, having multiple weapons doesn't guarantee them being effective in a fight." He finished while glancing at Dante with irritation.

Dante was completely ignoring their conversation opting to instead clean his weapons with a grin. Vergil sighed and grabbed various bath instruments before heading into the bathroom leaving Nero to ponder his words.

"He's right you know" a voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Dante with a smirk. Seeing his attention at full he continued "like it or not that arm is a part of you, best you don't think of it as some 'demonic arm' after all it's yours."

Profound words but coming from Dante made it sound like he was working an angle to make him sound superior. And so Nero's response was an annoyed scoff followed by turning away from the older Nephilm. Another thought came into mind and out of curiosity Nero took off his shirt.

Yep it was his entire arm going up to and stopping at his shoulder so now the question was

"How am I supposed to deal with _this_?" Nero asked out loud.

The question was more to himself but Dante gave his two cents worth nonetheless "easy just use your sleeves and wear gloves, duh."

Nero gave him a sardonic glare and held up his arm for Dante to see "you think people wouldn't notice **this**!?" he pointed to the now glowing, admittedly _larger_ clawed demonic arm.

Dante's hands were raised in mock surrender "geez, it was just a suggestion."

Nero rolled his eyes, at the same time Vergil walked out in a plain blue T-shirt and blue pajama bottoms. Now that he thought about it he really has a thing for blue heck his aura radiates blue, he shook his head and prepared to enter the bathroom but was shoved aside by a moving force.

"Too slow!" Dante yelled followed by the click of the door

Nero had a deep scowl and was about ready to kick the door down when he was interrupted..again.

"Maybe you should wear a medical cast." Nero turned around to see Vergil sitting on his bed.

"What?"

"Your arm" he pointed "if you wear a medical cast big enough you can hide it in plain sight."

Again Nero could count on Vergil to be the closest thing to an older brother figure; he had the answers to all his problems.

"Thanks Vergil" said boy nodded with a smile and began setting his clothes neatly in the closet.

Nero himself started to clean his weapons and to do a quick check to make sure their functionalities were at maximum. Unlike Dante's weapons his were not made using demonic and or angelic power but they were nothing to scoff at either.

Speaking of weapons he had to admit for a visible pain in the ass tha-no _his_ demonic arm wasn't so bad. The thoughts of his fight with the Grimm especially how he judo flipped that giant scorpion played out in his head which bought a satisfied smirk to his face.

He averted his attention to the task at hand, that being his sword Red Queen, he had to admit he was in a bit of a bind. The special liquid propellant he used in order to 'Exceed' was a costly one, since the Sparda family was _very_ privileged he had ample funding to buy the ingredients. From what he learned most of the things in this dimension was powered by something called Dust.

That brought another wave of questions like how is going to get the ingredients to make the stuff, he already brought the ones from the mansion with him but they would last a couple of months at bet. He would need to eventually go out and buy them later on, speaking of, where are they going to get the money to buy food.

Just then Dante walked out drying his hair with a towel, wearing only a red pajama bottom he looked around the room, Vergil was sorting out his wardrobe while Nero was cleaning his disassembled gun absentmindedly.

"Hmm" he said in thought "by the way, what are we gonna do for food?" Vergil and Nero glanced at him. Nero was especially surprised since he literally pulled the question from his thoughts.

They glanced at each other before all gazes fell on Vergil who held his chin thoughtfully

"Don't worry about that, Ozpin informed me that all our expenses" he glanced at Dante who had a grin " _living expenses_ will be covered by the school" Dante's face deflated. "Just as long as we attend classes and not cause trouble." Vergil concluded

Dante and Nero groaned before the latter entered the bathroom for his shower, once inside he went to the sink. Nero looked at his arm in the mirror and thankfully it was his arm and _only_ his arm that was transformed. There weren't any weird red veins stretched to his shoulder like it's some kind of infection slowly giving him a permanent Devil Trigger or something.

After a quick shower and feeling refreshed, he reassembled Blue Rose before holstering it and hung it on his night stand. Vergil was still reading and Dante was passed out on his bed and seeing nothing else to keep him up he also lay down.

Soon after he joined Dante in the land of dreams, seeing this Vergil shot his gaze to both their sleeping forms. After hearing snores he marked the page on his book and a quick glance on his watch told him it was 11:00pm.

Vergil didn't feel like sleeping so he went to the window which had a good view of the shattered moon and with a deep breath he exited the dorm room to explore. Almost immediately he began reminiscing about the events that transpired this month. It felt surreal being here; he walked out into the open area where the moon shone the most.

Another concern came to mind, when Mundus used that portal they ended up here but why? Somehow Vergil is missing something very important and for the love of him no matter how much he thought about it he just can't remember. After a while he just decided to let it go, for now it's a nice quiet night out and there is a convenient bench a few feet away next to a tree.

With his book in hand he decided to just spend a good chunk of the hour reading up on this world. He was fortunate enough to have received a book on Grimm and after a few minutes into the book he came to suspect something about his current surroundings and after a sigh he spoke

"Isn't it difficult reading up there?" Vergil enquired lifting his gaze from the book.

A few feet from him stood a tall tree and on one of thick branches there sat a girl with flowing black hair and a bow on her head. She had her knee arched up and a book in hand, her eyes looked down at the new face and he met her gaze. She looked at him curiously while he looked at her or more specifically her bow with contemplation.

"Although, I suppose a Faunus such as yourself doesn't really need light to see, right?" He asked rhetorically without a hint of contempt.

The girl stared at him wide eyed and he figured that he may have spoken out of turn and quickly tried to salvage the situation

"I'm sorry if you were trying to hide that fact, it's just that I was raised to be very observant."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at him as if she was thinking of what to make of him.

"My name is Vergil, I'm a new student." He introduced himself with a smile, hopeful that he could at least start a conversation.

Nothing was said after a while although she kept staring. Feeling uncomfortable in the silence he let out a tired sigh closed his book and began to make his way back from whence he came. He didn't make it five feet before he heard what sounded like a silent landing behind him.

"Wait" he heard a feminine voice behind him say.

He turned around to see that she was wearing a Yukata that reached just above her knees.

"I'm sorry" she apologized

"It's alright, I can sympathize with why you would want to hide your heritage." He answered with honesty. "Personally I think it is disgusting how people treat Faunus just because they're different,"

The girl was caught off guard by his statement; there are not many people who would openly support Faunus like that. She recovered from her shock

"My name is Blake" she gave him a small smile.

Vergil returned the gesture "Vergil, it's very nice to meet you Blake." He then let out a small yawn and glanced at his watch "it's almost midnight" he glanced back at her "I'm sorry but I should be going, wouldn't want to sleep in."

With that they said their goodbyes and opted to walk back to their respective dorms or it would be if they weren't walking in the same direction. All throughout the walk he could feel that there was something wrong

"Is there something on your mind?"

Blake seemed to come to her senses and looked up at him and shook her head "don't worry it's not important." He didn't buy it but didn't want to pry and now there was an uncomfortable silence.

Somehow she sensed this and opted to break the silence "what dorm number are you in" she asked

"308. Why?"

She looked at him with slight shock "310" she said finally, the ends of her lips slightly curving upwards.

He gave a surprised expression then started chuckling softly "what a coincidence."

They both arrived at their respective dorms and with a nod to the other silently entered and slept in relative peace.

* * *

Dante awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door

"Ugh, who the hell?" He was cut off by the sound of more knocking

"Alright, alright I'm coming, yeesh." He rolled off the bed with a yawn and stretched.

He opened the door to find no one there "the hell?" His still droopy eyes peered down the hallway until they settled at his feet where three boxes were present.

"Huh" he commented as the first box had his name written on a note attached to it.

Dante picked up the heavy looking boxes with one hand and closed the door behind him. He walked to the middle of the room and dropped them on the ground resulting in a loud *Thud.* The noise instantly woke up Nero who aimed Blue Rose dead center between the obnoxious nephilm's eyes. But Dante ignored the implied threat

Vergil opened his eyes slowly and sat up yawning "what's going on?"

"Looks like Ozzy sent us presents." Dante smirk lessened when he opened the box and saw its contents.

"Well what's in the box." Nero asked putting away his pistol and walking towards the box with his name on it.

Dante stood up while holding out the Beacon uniform shirt for them to see.

"Uniforms?" Nero said incredulously but then shrugged and said "whatever" then threw himself on the bed and reached for his scroll.

Nero started texting a message which Dante didn't ignore "what're you doing there?"

"I'm texting Ozpin about getting a cast for my arm." The half demon replied

Dante simply shrugged and went for the bathroom only to be shoved aside by Nero who had a smirk

"Too slow!" he said before locking the door behind.

Dante looked at the door wide eyed before he got up "at least the kid's learning."

He then set his attention to Vergil who was unloading the contents of the box. He decided to do the same

"So anything happen on your midnight stroll last night?"

Vergil stopped and looked at his smirking face with a neutral one "yes actually" he finally said before returning to what he was doing.

"Weeell who is she?" Dante asked slyly

Vergil sighed knowing full well what his younger twin would be implying and he knows denying it would just give him a reason to pester him more.

"Her name is Blake, I met her by coincidence while outside reading" he turned around to find Dante grinning slyly but continued in a more serious tone "she's a Faunus in hiding" Dante's grin slowly disappeared.

Just then Nero came out and Dante went inside and while Nero did hear the conversation he didn't bother to comment on it since he too was concealing something he didn't want _anyone_ seeing. After 30 minutes the three boys were ready making sure to hide their weapons securely before leaving.

"Alright so I'm heading for the cafeteria, you guys coming?" Dante asked.

Nero held up his right arm which bulged slightly under his long sleeve, he was wearing a black leather glove. Dante seemed to get the idea and turned to Vergil

Vergil shook his head "sorry Dante but I'm going to the library."

"What for?"

"Something I've noticed about the Grimm but I need more information before proceeding." Vergil then looked at his scroll to follow a map to the library.

Nero left somewhere in their brief conversation leaving Dante standing by himself. Dante's uniform was unbuttoned so that his amulet was shown; he didn't bother wearing the red tie. He used his scroll to map the way to the cafeteria.

After a few minutes of walking a crowd of people rushed past him yelling, the words "food" and "fight" were repeated. From the window he could see some people inside probably students tossing melons at each other

"What the fu-"his words stopped when a girl with blonde hair used two whole turkeys as boxing gloves to punch said melon.

Dante's jaw dropped but then a grin came on and that's when things went FUBAR as a girl with long black hair and a bow flipped over the blonde and picked up two ridiculously long banquettes to use as swords and cut whole melons apart in pieces.

At that point Dante was already running to the entrance to see this, _the most epic food fight to date_. He rushed through the doors and bumped into two other guys, one had blue hair while the other was a tanned skin blonde with a..monkey tail?

He didn't question it as right now as some chick was riding a tray on the table like a surf board.

"This is so awesome" Dante said clearly impressed.

"I know right!" exclaimed monkey boy beside him.

An orange haired chick ripped a poll from the wall and smashed it into a melon to make a makeshift hammer. That's when Dante started recording it on his scroll because neither Vergil nor Nero would ever believe him.

The orange hair hammer girl was now fighting a girl with snow white hair using a…swordfish as a Rapier aaand she got slammed into a pillar. The two boys beside Dante winced; monkey boy mouthed 'ow' while the blue hair said.

"That's gotta hurt" with one eye closed.

Dante one the other hand couldn't stop himself from snickering as the girl in the red hood held her 'comrade' in her arms while yelling "nnooooooooo!" as the pillar fell behind her to make a dramatic scene.

Dante moved his scroll as the 'hot blonde' girl with turkey boxing gloves was fighting some guy with using two celery sticks like dual short swords. When the blonde tried for a kick he blocked with both celery sticks

' _What the hell do they make their food with?'_ Dante thought as the now airborne kid threw the celery at the girl and they actually dug halfway into the ground.

After turkey girl smashed celery guy so hard into the ground that it created a shockwave, hammer girl decides to step in and….holy shit used the melon hammer to send turkey girl _through_ the ceiling!

Dante was outright laughing at this point but the fight was still going on, bow girl smacked hammer girl into vending machine by using a ridiculously long rope of sausages like a whip. Now hammer girl was tossing canned soda like grenades, waitaminute, those things actually explode on impact!

A grinning Dante went in front of the bluenette who complained but was tuned out as the red head was levitating soda cans and sending them to the bow girl like a semi-automatic. Bow girl was pinned to the wall by the barrage of soda cans and was down for the count.

Now the girl with the red hood stood and ran so fast that the force of everything she passed followed creating a tornado of food headed straight for.

"Hey could you move out the way, I can't see anything!" Dante looked back to the complaining bluenette who looked irritate.

Dante shrugged "If you insist" just then he side stepped away just in time to record a barrage of food and drinks pinning four people to the wall including the bluenette.

The result was a multi-colored artiste rendition of four schmucks stuck to a wall and that's when Dante stopped filming and started laughing his head off. Monkey boy joined in and they draped each other's arm over their shoulders

"I love these guys" he said right before Glynda Goodwitch came through the doors looking pretty pissed.

Using her crop duster she went about using magic to clean and rearrange everything to how it was before the fight broke out.

"Children, please, do not play with your food." She said between her teeth.

*Burp* Hammer girl giggled and turkey girl fell through the ceiling and crashed into a table.

Glynda growled and Ozpin put a hand on her shoulder "let it go "

She sighed "there suppose to be the defenders of the world."

"And they will be" he looked at them and the fallen blonde got up like it was nothing and gave a thumbs up "but right now they are still children." He glanced back at her "so why not let them play the part?"

Dante saw she was about say something and spoke up "the great and powerful Oz has spoken" the two professors turned around to see Dante approaching with a smirk "besides he's right, we're all young and we still have a few years before we start becoming old, crabby and boring you know, like you." He pointed to Glynda and the two boys behind him couldn't help but stifle their snickers.

One glare from Glynda and both of them stopped, looked away and the blonde coughed in fist. Glynda then turned her glare to Dante who still wore his smirk unfazed by her attempts at intimidation.

"Ah Dante" Ozpin spoke up "how are you enjoying your time at beacon so far?"

Dante took a glance at the eight behind them "I gotta say I'm impressed professor, they ain't half bad, they're good, some more than others." Dante's smirk went away "although their still green." Dante's tone was serious and he looked at Ozpin sharply.

Ozpin let out a light chuckle "well that is to be expected, after all, they are only first years just starting out." Dante dipped his head to the side in comprehension. "Well I will leave you to your business then Dante." Ozpin's final words before he went out the door followed by Glynda who glanced back at Dante with a scowl.

Dante soon found himself with monkey boy's arm draped around his shoulders; the Nephilm gave the Faunus a quizzical look.

"I don't know who you are but anyone who can stand up to Goodwitch must be at the epitome of coolness in my book." Dante smirked at this and the boy grinned and extended his hand "Sun Wukong."

Dante shook his hand fiercely "Dante Sparda."

Sun came off and pointed to the bluenette who was freaking out a little trying to wipe the purple soda off.

"This is my teammate Neptune."

Dante looked at him for a while before saying "is he cool?"

Sun let out an awkward chuckle as Neptune bolted through the doors "I guess not" both boys glanced at each other "I should go see if he's okay, see you around Dante!" He yelled as he went to catch his teammate.

Dante shook his head slowly "these people are nuts and speaking of which" he turned around and proceeded to walk towards the six girls and two boys.

The eight students heard slow claps coming from behind them and turned around to see a smiling Dante slowly approaching them.

"Gotta say" he placed both hands in his pockets "you guys definitely give me a better opinion of this school."

They all looked amongst themselves before looking at the strange boy. Blake even more so

Weiss was the first to speak up "and who might you be?" She brushed off herself and stood tall as if to retain some of her dignity.

Blake's eyes widened "Vergil?" Now everyone was looking at her.

"You two know each other?" Weiss asked not concealing her shock.

"Well I-

"How come you never introduce us to _your_ friends Blake" Ruby said in a pout.

While Blake was trying and failing to explain, Yang was looking Dante up and down, he saw this and smiled.

"Like what you see Blondie?" he commented and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing to stare at the stranger and Yang.

Yang was completely caught off guard by this and could only gawk at him and he responded with a wink and you could see the outlines of her cheek turning pink. Yang regained her composure and a large predatory grin spread across her face, Dante returned the gesture with his own grin.

Team JNPR who was in the middle of their staring contest eyes shifting from Yang to Dante all with mixed reactions. Nora was of course grinning, Ren maintained his neutral expression, and Jaune and Pyrrha were both flabbergasted.

Meanwhile the rest of team RWBY didn't know what to make of this situation it was literally the first time they have met another boy not at all uncomfortable or intimidated by Yang's flirting. In fact Dante seems to make her go on guard as some boys would be around her.

Weiss once again regained her composure "Excuse me!" she said to which Dante and Yang turned to her "if you two are done undressing each other with your eyes the rest of us would like to get on with our lives!" Both of them shot her an irritated look turned to her and folded their arms at the same time.

"She always like that?"

"You have no idea."

Weiss began tapping her foot impatiently "well!? Explain yourself!?"

Dante scoffed sagged his shoulders "alright then _mom_ "

Yang, Jaune, Ruby and Nora started snickering at this while the rest of them were smiling Weiss looked offended and was about to deliver a rebuttal but was cut off.

"First of all _I'm_ not the one who knows her that would be my brother, Vergil." He finished

"You two are twins?" Blake asked curiously.

"That's right" he glanced at Yang who glanced at him "but I'm better looking" he finished waggling his eyebrows.

Weiss scoffed but he ignored her and continued "the name's Dante, Dante Sparda." He extended a hand to Yang.

Yang grinned deviously and took his hand gripping it tightly "Yang Xiao Long." To her surprise he was unfazed by her strength taking a look at his expression it showed amusement.

"Strong and beautiful" he started applying pressure on his part "I like that in a woman but" Yang started wincing ever so slightly "I ain't no pushover either" Yang's gritted her teeth and Dante's expression showed concentration. This went on for a few more seconds until he saw she was about ready to shout at which he promptly let go.

Dante shook his hand "Geez Yang, think you could go easy on the hand?"

Yang held her hand, it hurt but she did a good job of not showing it, in truth she was testing him. She would admit that he looked good and while his counter flirting caught her off guard she had learned guys like that were just weak play boys but now she learned that he can walk the walk.

She gestured to her teammates "these are my teammates"

"Hello Dante I'm Ruby leader of team RWBY!" Ruby stated triumphantly and Dante was quite frankly taken aback by how young she seemed.

Ruby was promptly put into a headlock by Yang "yeah I'm so proud my little sis became a leader"

"Kn-knock it off Yang!" Ruby struggled as Yang tussled her hair. She was eventually set free.

"You two are related?" Dante asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You better believe it" Yang chirped

Dante turned his attention to the brunette "My name is Blake Belladonna."

Dante turned to Weiss who was glaring daggers at him

Dante pointed at her and turned to Yang "Let me guess, Ice Queen, right?"

"Surprisingly accurate" the blonde commented.

"Excuse me but my name is Weiss, Weiss _Schnee_." He said with a smug smile as she emphasized her surname.

Dante was unfazed rather he had a bored expression "and?"

Her smile dropped "what do you and? I said I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Corporation.

"So?"

"I'm heiress to the largest dust manufacturer this side of Remnant!" she practically yelled as her frustration reaching a boiling point.

Dante used his pinkie to clean his ear and gave her a bored look and in a calm voice replied "listen, Weiss was it, I have no idea what the 'Schnee Corporation' or what the heck Dust is?"

*Gasp*

"What?" Dante asked looking around to find everyone staring at him like he was insane.

Yang began chuckling "Dante you're joking right?"

"About what?"

"That you don't know what Dust is?" Ruby chimed in

"Is it some special type of dirt?" he shrugged.

*SILENCE*

"You're not joking are you?" Weiss asked incredulously.

He looked around again "Am I missing something here?"

Weiss reached in her pocket and pulled out a vial filled with green dust.

"This is dust" Weiss began "it's a natural energy propellant found all over the world."

Dante looked at the vial before taking it; he held it up to the light and spoke "so it's a special type of dirt then? I thought I said that two minutes ago?" Dante responded with a smirk.

Weiss growled but stopped when the vial started glowing and Dante felt the tattoo on his back glowing as well. There was a faint shine coming off his arm and when it stopped the vial was empty. There was an awkward silence and everyone slowly looked at Dante who seemed to be staring at the empty vial with an unreadable expression.

"W-what just happened?" Jaune asked.

Dante turned and looked him in the eye he looked at the empty vial and shrugged "no idea" without taking his eyes off team JNPR he tossed the vial to his right.

Everyone followed the movement of the vial as it landed perfectly in the trash receptacle.

Jaune and Ruby's thoughts were _'That was so cool!'_

Nora yelled "score!" with her arms in the air.

"So" he began getting their attention "who are you guys?"

Pyrrha was about to speak up but Nora zipped in front of her making Dante blink

"We are _the_ team JNPR!" She began excitedly "I'm Nora Valkyrie," she stood beside Dante "she's Pyrrha Nikos, he's my best friend Lie Ren we're always together" she paused and they both looked at each other Dante "but not together-together and he is our fearless leader Jaune Arc" said boy gave an awkward slight wave.

Dante took a good look at him, no matter how he looked at him; Jaune didn't seem like a good fighter. Dante was snapped out of his thought by Nora.

"Sooooooo where are you from? Is it far away? How come you don't know about Dust? What's your team like? How did you throw that vial in the trash without looking? What was that weird light?" that was the last question as Ren pulled her away with an apologetic expression.

"Well I can't answer the first question but I live _very_ far away. We don't really use Dust where I'm from, well we do but we don't call it that. Skill and the last part is a secret." Dante then gave a smirk and Nora pouted.

Avoiding another awkward silence he turned his attention to Ruby.

"So Ruby how old are you?" Dante asked curiously.

Ruby smiled bashfully "I'm fifteen."

"Huh, I thought you'd have to be older to get in."

"Yeah well, Rubes here was so impressive that the headmaster moved her up two years." Yang stated while giving he a bone crushing hug. "So she's the youngest person here in all of Beacon."

"Hmm well she's the youngest girl anyway" Dante stated and Ruby and Yang looked at him confused.

"What'd you mean?" Yang dropped Ruby.

"Well we have a guy on our team who's around her age."

Everyone blinked, Ruby being accepted into Beacon was a once in a lifetime thing and the only reason for that was by sheer luck. She was in the right place at the right time that allowed her to showcase her skills in an actual combat situation.

"Really!?" Ruby squealed. "There's really someone else my age here? On your team? Where is he? What's he like? What kind of weapon does he use?"

Truth be told, even though Ruby has made friends with everyone here and is very happy to be at Beacon, being younger than the rest of the student body she would sometimes feel a little lonely. Hearing that there is another person her age has her practically gushing.

"What's he like well uh, hmm. He's not friendliest person you'll ever meet." Dante said hoping not to get her hopes up. Somehow Ruby's innocence impacted him enough to not want her to be disappointed.

Ruby was still cheery though "that's alright, Weiss is on our team."

"Hey!"

"If I can be friends with her then your friend should be no problem." Ruby said this with a hand on her hip and her palm stretched out while moving slowly to the side.

Dante's brows furrowed "look Ruby, don't get your hopes up ok he has some major trust issues, it took my family weeks just to get him to talk to us in a complete sentence."

Dante thought that would at least faze her but she gave him a determined look.

"Yeah Dante" Yang got his attention "it's going to take a _lot_ more than that to discourage her."

Dante smirked "well I hope you're right cause" he turned to the door and stepped aside so everyone can see it "speak of the devil."

They all glanced at Dante who was smirking and then at the door that opened for someone to come in. Inside the cafeteria walked a young man, just a few inches taller than Ruby herself, he wore the standardized Beacon uniform; his hair was white like Weiss' but was short and brushed down. His right arm was in a cast and sling and on his left arm he wore two rings one on his index and ring finger.

The moment he came through the door he saw everyone looking at him and seeing Dante's smirk he groaned tiredly and walked over with a scowl.

Dante approached the obviously angry teen "Hey Ner-oh!" he was promptly shoved out of the way.

Nero stood before team RWBY and JNPR and spoke "listen I don't know who you people are but if that guy has said or done anything stupid then on behalf of our team I would like to apologize. As you can see, he's retarded."

Not one person had anything to say to that except Dante of course.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa no need for name calling Nero" Dante gritted his teeth but smiled and tussled his hair violently. Nero took a swing and missed as Dante went to his other shoulder and draped his arm over it.

"Now these fine people here are teams JNPR and RWBY" Nero glanced at Dante with the expression 'why.' "I have no idea why they call their team that.

"They use the first letters of all our names to name the teams" Pyrrha spoke

"Oh well that's convenient" Dante muttered. "Well anyway I'd like you all to meet the youngest member of" he paused in thought before grinning "team DVN (Divine)" Nero shook his head slowly while looking at him "our brother from another mother-"

Nero slapped Dante's hands away "my name is Nero, no last name. Don't ask."

Everyone unwittingly didn't question his unknown last name. Dante frowned and draped his arm around the younger boy again.

Nero let out a low frustrated sigh "Dante.."

"Now it's my turn to introduce everyone else."

Nero shot him an irritated look "you have till the count of ten to remove your hand or else the cafeteria is going to have a new skylight." He threatened.

"He is Jaune Arc leader of team JNPR"

Jaune gave a nervous laugh

Nero simply nodded politely "10"

"The redhead is Pyrrha Nikos"

"It's nice to meet you Nero" she said with compassion

"Nice to meet you too" he responded. "9"

"Next is Nora Valkyrie"

"What's up?"

"Dante in a few seconds" he replied darkly. "8"

"Last but not least is Lie Ren. He doesn't talk much."

Nero and Ren nodded ever so slightly. "7"

"Next we have team RWBY"

"6"

"This beautiful blond hottie's name is Yang Xiao Long"

Yang didn't say anything, merely waiting to see what Nero would do with folded arms.

Nero looked her up and down " **5** " he said louder and clenched his fist, the sound of a *crack* was heard and the teams actually stepped back from this.

"Oh and this is ice queen" Weiss glared at him "fine, her name is Weiss _Schnee"_

" **4** "

"This is Blake Belladonna the girl Vergil met last night while he was on a midnight stroll."

Everyone looked at Blake for a moment

"… **3** " Nero readied himself and everyone was now at the edge of their nerves because it really looked like Nero was going to follow through with his threat.

"And saving the best for last is the leader Ruby Rose"

" **2** "

"She's 15 years old, her interested include making new friends, fighting, checking out weaponry and she's _single!"_ He finished like the host of a dating game show.

"on- wait, what?" Nero took his gaze off Dante to look at the food covered redhead.

Dante moved away from Nero to stand next Yang, both of them sporting an amused grin at how their younger teammates are awkwardly staring at each other. Ruby was smiling shyly at him but Nero just stared at her with a blank expression like he's trying to solve a puzzle.

After a few seconds a small blush appeared on her face, her eyes darted around the room and she began fidgeting. Nero found his expression softening and the tiniest of red on his cheeks.

"…hi" He responded.

Ruby glanced at the boy "h-hi there."

Not one person dared interrupted this awkward yet special moment, not even Weiss who looked on curiously as did Ren and Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha smiled at the moment And Nora was gushing

"This is just like a scene from a fairytale!" The young Valkyrie proclaimed earning glances.

Nero and Ruby looked at her in confusion so she continued "this is the scene where Ruby the awkward shy princess meets the handsome Prince Nero and just like in the fairytale they are now bound by fate to be together and live happily ever after!" She shot her hand up in the air.

There was now an even more awkward silence, the only thing that was heard was the sound of Ren smacking himself on the forehead. Nero used that interruption to mentally collect himself before looking at Ruby.

"So" he began "why are you guys covered in food?" Nero finally spoke.

"Oh that's right!?" Weiss screamed.

Suddenly everyone remembered they were filthy and after Weiss bolted out the door so fast that it may have rivaled Ruby's semblance everyone exited.

"Umm, see you around Nero." Ruby said with a smile as she followed everyone outside.

"Yeah later" Nero said slowly while watching her leave.

"Never thought you'd fall for her that hard so fast"

Nero glared at Dante who was now on his scroll, "What are you doing?" Nero asked

"Sending _you_ a video, trust me you'll thank me later." He replied.

A moment later Nero's scroll was alerted and he took it out to watch the food fight battle royal. His now wide eyes were glued to the small screen for about 2 minutes before he shut the scroll down.

"So what'd you think?" Dante asked with slight anticipation.

"I think those people are nuts." He responded. Dante seemed disappointed in his answer "but _that_ was awesome." He finished and Dante grinned.


	3. The Savage Initiation

**Chapter 3: The** _ **S**_ **avage Initiation**

For the past few hours Vergil has been in the library, learning as much as he can about this new world. There were a total of 12 books stacked to the side of the table, all of them big and those were the ones he has already read.

"Jesus Vergil don't you think you're over doing it?" Vergil brought his head up to see Dante and Nero along with some new faces and Blake.

"Alright everyone _this_ is the third and final member of team NVD and my brother Vergil Sparda."

Vergil raised an eyebrow and turned to Nero "team _'envied'?_ "

Nero shrugged "every team is named by combining the initials of the first names of team members."

"Oh" Vergil glanced up to see a certain brunette "It's nice to see you again Blake." He smiled

Blake allowed a small smile to grace her lips. Dante introduced both teams to him and they all went to sit with their teams.

Ruby and Yang started setting up a game called World of Remnant enthusiastically for their team to play, while Weiss was skeptical of the game Blake didn't seem interested. She glanced at the three boys sitting just a few tables behind them, Dante looked to be serious for the first time they met, Nero and Vergil's expression reflected this.

"I held the dust in my hand and the thing just disappeared and I know it sounds weird but I swear it felt like a Devil Star." Dante concluded.

"That's not possible," Nero spoke up "those things only exit in Limbo or the demon world."

"Dante you said it _felt_ like Devil Star, what was the difference?" Vergil asked curiously

Dante cupped his chin "guess I'd have to say it feels, I don't know, purer I guess?"

Ever since he fought the Grimm Vergil has had a feeling that something was off about this world and the revelation that Dante has just presented only serves to amplify his suspicion.

' _Should I talk to Ozpin?'_ he mentally shook his thoughts _'no I need more before I confront him about my hunch.'_

Suddenly all three boys turned to the new presence before them.

"Uh, h-hi Nero" Ruby said shyly, she was still socially awkward.

"Uh, hi Ruby" Nero responded normally "you want something?" Nero could feel Dante enjoying himself.

"Yeah um I was wondering if" she perked a little "you'd like to play a game with us?"

Nero cocked an eyebrow "us?"

"My team" she corrected

Nero's face fell to a neutral one "Sorry Ruby, I don't play games." He responded flatly

Ruby's face fell at his words "oh, well sorry I bothered you." She said dejectedly and walked away her head held down.

Thinking nothing of it he turned towards the twins who were now giving him disappointed looks.

Nero looked between both of them "what?"

Dante slowly shook his head with his eyes closed then arched closer with both palms on the table "that was weak Nero" he said in an equally disappointed tone.

He pushed his chair back and stood up glancing at Ruby before going over to her "hey Ruby"

The girl stopped about halfway and turned around to an approaching figure "Dante? Whoa!"

She was placed in a headlock by the older teen "I'd like to play this game you've got. So what're you playing?" Dante spoke completely ignoring the younger girls struggling.

Nero watched the scene unfold completely oblivious as to what he did wrong

"What's his problem?" Nero asked only to hear a sigh in return. He glanced to see Vergil's expression even more disappointed like he did something and the answer was right in front of him.

"What, what'd I do!?" he asked honestly.

"Nero" Vergil began "Dante is disappointed in how you shot Ruby down like that and so am I."

"What!? All I said was I didn't play any games. It's not like I told her to take a hike." He exclaimed.

Vergil shook his head "you could have let her down more gently than you did."

Nero gave him a baffled expression "what was I suppose to say? I just told her the truth, what more do want from me?"

"It's not _what_ you said but more like _how_ you said it" Nero's expression remained baffled so Vergil continued "it's obvious she just wanted to be friends with you."

Nero looked at him for a moment then he scowled "whatever I'm going back to the dorms."

Nero began walking towards the door, the scowl ever so present as he passed by team RWBY's table just in time to hear Dante exclaim how he is about to overrun Ruby's army and said girl giving a dramatic 'no' just like Darth Vader.

He spared a single glance at their table and met Ruby's gaze as she laid her head on the table with cartoon tears trailing her cheeks. That immediately stopped when she saw him, his scowl not going away he turned to the door and left the library and suddenly Ruby's fake sadness turned to a real one.

"Told you he isn't the 'making friends' type" Ruby turned to Dante who gave her a solemn look. Ruby seemed downcast by this.

"Don't worry about Nero he's just blunt like that, if you're socially awkward then he's just plain anti-social." Somehow Ruby looked even sadder like a puppy waiting outside its master's doorstep in the rain sad which managed to penetrate Dante's wall of nonchalance and so he continued "keep trying though I'm he'll at least try to be your friend if you're persistent enough" Dante reassured her.

"Now I think it's about time for Remnant's new ruler to ascend to the throne" he smirked

Yang started sweating "oh no"

Ruby's eyes widened

Weiss just looked between the three of them "um what's happening?" she asked, completely lost.

While the rest of her team and Dante were disrupting team JNPR's time in the library Blake couldn't help but be curious about what Vergil was doing, she doesn't know why but something about him seemed familiar to her. Curiosity getting the better of her, like a cat, she decided to approach him.

He was reading a rather large text much like the one Ren was currently reading with Nora sleeping on one half of it. His expression portraying him in deep thought while trying to figure out a puzzle.

"You read a lot" she said standing a few feet away still approaching him.

He glanced up with a small smile "oh just catching up on the school curriculum" he answered.

She was now standing in front of him the table separating them, she raised her eyebrow and looked at the stack of presumably already read books.

"The topics on some of these books are way more advance than what they are teaching for first years." She commented while sitting down.

"Well I don't really have anything else to do right now" he glanced at the amount of books he has around him and Blake's skeptical face "okay this is more for research than recreation I admit."

"What do you mean?" She was now curious.

"Well our enrollment into Beacon is….special, we aren't exactly from any of the kingdoms nor did we go to any school before this one so we didn't take any tests."

He looked at the text he was reading about the Faunus rights revolution. "We were raised very far away so we don't really know much about anything that's been happening in Remnant on a whole." He concluded.

Blake's eyes widened for a moment before they subsided with interest, she herself was a part of white fang and so did not have a formal education in any of the kingdoms but from what he has just said and the fact that Dante didn't even know what Dust is then she could only imagine where they grew up.

"Then how'd you get accepted into Beacon." She asked.

Vergil knew this was coming, he didn't necessarily mind telling Blake about that time, she looked like someone who could keep a secret but still better safe than sorry "can you keep a secret?" he asked

Blake didn't say a word but looked at him funny and he just realized how dumb that question was "point taken. Well while we were travelling through the badlands," Blake's eyes widened slightly "a Faunus village was being overrun by Grimm so we defended it and managed to evacuate everyone with no casualties. Afterwards general Ironwood came with a fleet of airships accompanied by Ozpin. They were both impressed by how we handled the situation they both wanted to enroll us in their respective schools, we chose Beacon and here we all are."

Blake took in the story with a grain of salt and judging by how he's acting, he was telling the truth, but she felt that he left some parts out. How can three boys fend off a Grimm attack by themselves with no casualties? If it were somewhere near the kingdoms then that story would have checked out but in the **badlands**? Something was wrong and he was a little suspicious.

Blake has been in the badlands before when she was younger and the White Fang were a Faunus rights group instead of a terrorist cell. They were aiding a village in the badlands when Grimm started attacking; they came in droves of all different species. In the end about half of them survived by escaping and she was lucky to be alive.

Blake later learned that the Badlands were the most dangerous place in all of Remnant, Grimm of all kind run amuck there; new, more dangerous species are discovered. Worst of all are the Grimm attacks, somehow the Grimm in the Badlands are even more dangerous than the one's in the Emerald forest and when they form on a village they attack in no less than 10.

Most hunter and huntresses do not dare venture into the Badlands because of the frequent Grimm attacks and even if they do it's not for long or alone. The only hunter to frequently go into the badlands alone is Qrow the scythe master and only because he is one of the most skilled hunter in all of Remnant.

The way how Vergil described his story made it seem as if going into the Badlands was nothing and that defending a village from an army of Grimm is a walk in the park. This could only mean two things: Vergil is lying or him, Dante and Nero are just that skilled.

"Are you alright?" he snapped her out of her thoughts

"Uh, yes I'm fine. I was just thinking how…implausible your explanation seems."

He sighed "I know, from what I've read in these books about the badlands, most people would dismiss what I say as a lie."

She nodded but didn't press it, she could relate to what people would think if they found out about something that would make them seem different. She took out her own book and began reading, with Vergil somehow talking with him made her forget about her troubles, it was a nice feeling to be had.

Over with Dante and the rest of team RWBY it was very clear that Weiss had no idea how to play the game but she refused to admit it, especially since Dante didn't understand the game either yet in just less than 30 minutes managed to grasp it and has even beaten Yang and Ruby who have been playing for _years_. Her pride refused to submit and Dante's bragging and Yang's teasing coupled with Ruby's snickering at said bragging and teasing didn't help.

At this point Jaune saw her plight and offered to play her hand for a bit so she would have an edge. Weiss was less than responsive to Jaune's help though

"Trust **me** Ice Queen, they're gonna be safer in the hands of someone who actually knows what they're doing." Dante interjected

Weiss was offended "Wha, I'll have you know that **I** know exactly what I'm doing" she shot back with an "hmph" at the end.

"Really, then how come you had the perfect opportunity to take Yang's and Ruby's kingdom yet lost most your own army the very next turn" Dante pointed to Weiss's army pieces currently in Yang's possession.

"And you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago" Yang added

Weiss groaned and Jaune used this opportunity to gloat "bring it on Ice Queen I'll have you know that I've been told I am a natural born leader."

"By who, your mother?"

" **And** Pyrrha" he pointed to the red headed Spartan who waved.

"Aw come on just let me play your hand for a turn" he begged

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo"

"Why not? You've trusted me with _way_ more important stuff before I mean you told us all how Blake is secretly a Fauuumph"

"Fun loving person whom we all admire and respect" Pyrrha finished while covering Jaune's mouth.

Everyone looked warily at Dante, hoping that he wouldn't get suspicious but the Nephilm only smirked

"Oh I already know about the 'bow' on her head, pretty obvious actually" everyone looked at him in disbelief "don't worry I'm cool with it." He assured them

Everyone turned their attention to Blake who was sitting with Vergil, her bow twitched a bit and she glared at everyone but sent an approved nod to Dante before re-focusing on her book.

Jaune chuckled nervously whilst rubbing the back of his head "yeah, that." He then did an elegant bow "ladies, enjoy your battle."

"Sup' losers" came the voice of Sun Wu Kong behind Dante with a peace sign.

"Hey Sun" Ruby chirped

Sun began "Ruby, Yang, Dante" he fist bumped him "Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss asked no one in particular.

Sun then went on to introduce his blue haired friend Neptune who started to flirt with Weiss much to Jaune's chagrin. Before it could go any further Sun interrupted

"Uh where's Blake?"

"She's with my brother" Dante pointed towards Blake sitting next to a blonde Dante. Sun looked back at him "my _twin_ brother." He reiterated.

Vergil glanced at Blake and bit his bottom lip in frustration before eventually speaking "Blake can I ask you a question?"

Blake looked up from her book and nodded

"I don't mean to imply anything but" he paused "as a Faunus, what do you think of the actions of the White Fang?"

Blake recoiled in her seat. Where did that come from?

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously. He couldn't be implying but then again he said that he wouldn't mean to.

"Well I was reading about their history, how they started and then I remembered them being on the news and it just didn't make any sense to me." He looked down and narrowed his eyes, then looked at her again. "How could something that started as a Faunus rights group become a terrorist organization" he snapped his fingers "just like that." He turned to her

Blake could see the clear curiosity in his expression and even though it brought about some of the recent memories that she'd rather forget for now but clearing the air for the Faunus was worth it.

"What the white fang originally stands for wasn't getting much result and the members got desperate for equality. When the old leaders stepped down, the new leaders started campaigning for complete dominance instead of equality." She explained with a heavy heart.

Vergil still looked deep in thought "something still doesn't add up." He responded much to her surprise.

He looked at her and began to explain "I thought the same thing too, if there's a regime change then it would take time for it to take effect with the members." Blake looked confused.

"Three months" he said "it was three months after their last failed non violent protest before they attacked a shipment of dust and stole it, why? If it was Faunus right group then most of their members shouldn't be capable of robbing an armed shipment like that."

"What are you trying to say? There were a lot of Faunus who could be capable of things like that." Blake hadn't really thought of something like that but was curious as to where he was getting at.

"Yes there most certainly are but would any of them join a non-violent movement? I'm thinking that whoever took over leadership had this all planned and specifically chose the White Fang organization to carry out a plan on a global scale."

"Look," he took out his scroll "behind all the bombings, riots and attacks carried out there were always dust shipments being stolen in bulk, everyone has always assumed that because of the war they were just using it to arm themselves but they still lost the wars, so where did it all go?"

Blake eyes widened in realization and suddenly it all made sense, Dust, the moment the new regime took effect most of the old members who couldn't fight were kicked out. Any Faunus who could fight were inducted, they were looking for soldiers. In fact while she was in White fang, most of the job she did one way or another involved stealing Dust but they never actually used it all. The big question was

"Why would they need that much Dust if they aren't using it?" she thought out loud. Blake looked at Vergil to see if he had an answer

"I don't know?" he said biting his thumb.

Vergil didn't know why but this was eating at him, it was right in front of him and he couldn't figure it out. Blake was also in a similar predicament because even now the white fang were collaborating with Roman Torchwick to get their hands on more Dust and if what Vergil just told her is true then either they are getting desperate or they don't care who they work with to get it.

"Hey Blake" they were both cut from their thoughts by Sun who eyed Vergil suspiciously "so you're Dante's brother right?"

Vergil raised an eyebrow and leaned to the side to see Dante give him a thumbs up.

"Yes I'm his older brother Vergil"

"I'm Sun Wu Kong and that blue hair guy flirting with the Ice Queen is my friend Neptune." He pointed out Neptune next to a giggling Weiss.

Vergil looked at him in surprise for a few seconds then noticed the monkey tail. Then his scroll started beeping. He took it out to see a text message from Ozpin, informing him to get his weapons, change into suitable battle attire and meet him at the cliff overlooking Emerald Forest.

"So Blake what's going on?" Sun asked leaning closer to her.

"Nothing" she said while standing "I need to go, see you later Vergil, Sun."

"Where are you going?" Enquired Ruby to Blake as she passed by

"I need some time to think" she replied to her leader without losing pace.

Dante was reading the exact same text that Vergil had and a wide grin spread across his face that everyone around the table noticed.

"Why are you so happy?" Yang asked coyly.

Dante glanced at Vergil who was packing up to leave and turned to everyone.

"Well guys it's been fun but uh, I've gotta go." Dante placed his cards down and went with Vergil who passed by.

"Where are you going?" Yang called out

Dante turned back "Ozpin wants to meet us at Emerald forest for a 'party.'

"Emerald forest?" Ruby said absentmindedly

There was a few seconds of silence where you could hear the clock ticking.

"Initiation!" Yang, Ruby and Weiss shouted in unison after which an irritated Ren gave them a "shh."

Nora jumped up "pancakes!" she rubbed her eyes to see team RWBY headed out and shouted "hey what's going on?"

Ruby zipped by her "Team NVD is doing their initiation _right now_ " Ruby then used her semblance to zip away in a flurry of rose petals.

Nora beamed and shot up from her seat "come on Ren!" before the boy could protest she grabbed his hand bolted out the library followed by Jaune and Pyrrha.

They immediately left Neptune looked at Sun who shrugged before they too went to catch up to them.

* * *

Meanwhile Blake was walking towards her dorm, her thoughts still on the White Fang working with Roman Torchwick and the Dust robberies. The door in front of her unlocked revealing Nero only he wasn't in his Beacon Uniform instead he wore a long red and black coat over a red zip up hoodie, long dark blue pants and a pair of brown boots.

He also had a gun holstered on his left thigh but what caught her attention was the large black case he had in his left arm that was held over his back.

"Nero" Blake addressed him.

Nero looked at her and shut the door "hey"

"Where are you going?"

He shrugged "Ozpin wants to meet us on a place called Emerald Forest, told us to bring our weapons."

Blake immediately knew it was the Beacon initiation, suddenly Vergil's story about how they defended that Faunus village entered her head and she became interested.

"Mind if I went along?" Blake asked catching up to him.

Nero stopped and turned around to looked up at her "why?"

She shrugged "no reason, I have nothing else going on right now" she lied.

He looked to be contemplating then turned around "do whatever you want" He concluded

Blake followed Nero towards the oh so familiar cliffs and much to her surprise along with professor Ozpin and Goodwitch, teams RWBY and JNPR along with Sun and Neptune were also present.

Blake heard Nero silently groan upon seeing them, as always Ruby was the first to notice their arrival

"Blake" she called out with glee but upon Nero's gaze her smile lessened somewhat.

Nero rolled his eyes and sighed but nonetheless ignored everyone else and made his way right in front of Ruby. He looked her straight in the eye, his light blue eyes meeting her silver orbs and at this moment she realized how tall he was. He was Nowhere near as tall as Jaune or Dante just a few inches taller than herself but up close like this made her feel smaller than normal.

"H-hi Nero" she said meekly with a weak smile averting her eyes every now and then.

Nero closed his eyes and exhaled sharply then looked at her again before saying "I'm sorry okay."

Ruby looked at him "Huh?"

"In the library, I'm sorry for shooting you down like that, I'm just not used to dealing with..people who want to be friends with me" he concluded.

Ruby immediately smiled at him and Nero admittedly realized how close they were and his cheeks turned a faint color of red. He immediately bypassed Ruby to get closer to Ozpin and Glynda. Ruby took note of the huge case in his hand and realized that must be his weapon.

Meanwhile Yang met up with Blake "so I guess you're curious about what the new guys can do too huh?"

Blake maintained her stoic expression and nodded "yeah, you could say that."

They both watched as Ruby looked over Nero unlocking his case only to stop and look over his shoulder at now giddy Ruby was.

"What are you doing?" he asked with no offense

Ruby blushed lightly "I-I'm sorry it's just that well" she brought her two index finger together "I'm a weapons nerd, I like seeing other people's weapons, I'm sorry."

"It's fine" she looked at him and he was grinning, it was a foreign sight to her, she didn't even think he _could_ smile.

As he unlocked the final latch he said "Ruby Rose, I'd like you to meet" he opened the case and Ruby's eyes widened "Red Queen!" He finished.

You could swear the golden light of heaven itself shone from that case the way Ruby was eyeing it. In her opinion it looked like a really big sword but not a sword, it looked more like a knife and is that a motorcycle gear-shift!?

It wasn't so much the sword itself as it was the pristine condition it was in that had Ruby near speechless. It had an ornately etched base and the blade shone like it was just made, it looked like it was a rare artifact belonging in a museum or in a maximum security archive vault of the coolest weapons ever made that should not be touched by mortal hands.

Nero watched her expression and couldn't help but show off a bit, he took the blade out of its case spun it once in his hand for everyone present to see then stuck it in the ground. He revved the gear-shift twice and the loud roar of a motor cycle echoed through the cliff as the blade glowed an ominous red before dying down.

Ruby was sputtering at this point "Th-th-th-th-that was so AWESOME!" Ruby exclaimed with a sparkle in her eyes and some drool at her lip side.

She started using her semblance to zip around the sword checking every inch of it while asking questions rapidly.

"I've never seen a sword like this before what is it? Did you build it yourself? Does it use Dust?"

"Is that an actual motorcycle gear-shift?" Yang asked now curious.

Nero pulled out Red Queen out the ground and held it horizontally.

"This is Red Queen and she's a GroBes Messer."

"A what?" Jaune asked scratching his head.

"It's German, translates directly into 'Great Knife' that's why it looks kinda like, well, a giant knife."

"I built it myself and specially customized a motorcycle gear-shift inside. It doesn't use Dust but when I pull the gear it release a custom propellant I made myself using different chemicals, works just as good if not _better_ than Dust and it's cheaper to make." He concluded with a smug grin.

"That's preposterous!" Weiss spoke up. "There _are_ no other chemicals in all of Remnant that are potent enough to compare to Dust!" The heiress shouted.

Nero smirked "oh yeah" he pointed Red Queen at her "how about if I use it crack open a giant Deathstalker's shell and drive it inside to kill it with a 'bang'? Would _that_ convince you Ice Queen?" The look in his eyes meant that Nero was deathly serious and Weiss suddenly had lump in her throat.

Ruby was still entranced touching the blade but then snapped out of it when she realized something

"Wait I don't see a barrel or trigger for you to fire your gun through?"

The half demon looked at her funny before placing Red queen on his back and reached for his holster

"Of course not, Red Queen is a _sword,_ if I want to _shoot_ something I use this" he pulled out his pistol "meet Blue Rose."

Again Ruby was mesmerized by the ornate features and its intricate design of a blue rose carved on the side.

"This is my personally modified Smith and Wesson model 500 double-action revolver."

He turned to Ruby "I showed you mine, when can I see yours?" Yang immediately covered her mouth to hide her snickering.

Ruby instinctively reached behind her back where her weapon _should_ be but was dishearten to find nothing there.

"Sorry Nero, I didn't bring Crescent Rose with me."

He looked disappointed "ah that's alright. I'll see it one of these days" he spun Blue Rose on his finger before holstering it.

"I didn't realize this was show and tell" sounded Dante's voice from behind everyone.

They turned to find Dante wearing a black ¾ length hooded jacket with red interior linings worn outside a grey tank top, black finger-less gloves black faded jeans and black military boots. A red necklace could be seen dangling around his neck.

Behind him was Vergil, he wore a dark buttoned up coat with blue interior linings, a large collar on the left side, a brassard can be seen on his left bicep. He wore white gloves, wore a blue dress slacks with black dress shoes. He carries a sheathed sword in his left hand.

Blake's eyes widened "Taurus" she whispered at the sight of Vergil as it was replaced by the visage of a red headed man with small bull horns wearing a Grimm mask.

"What's up Oz!" Dante greeted casually to the grey haired man sipping from his mug.

"Dante" his brother snapped "we are in his academy and he is the headmaster, treat him as such."

Glynda approved of Vergil with a small smile but Dante shrugged it off.

"So why did you bring us out here and if it doesn't involve killing something then I'm outta here." Dante remarked

"Well I suppose you'll be staying then Dante." Ozpin remarked. "For your initiation you will be launched into the Emerald forest where you must traverse north, you must find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing three relics. Each of you must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, is there a time limit?" Dante asked

"No there is no time limit for the duration Dante and you are advised to destroy everything in your path."

Dante grinned brightly "works for me."

Glynda pushed up her glasses "may I remind you that the goal of this initiation is to collect the relic and return here and not hunting Grimm, young man."

Dante and even Nero gave her a bored expression

"You know" Dante began "I think I know why Ozpin goes through his coffee like running water. It's because he spends so much time around you and you keep sucking the joy out of him that he literally has to keep himself from falling into a coma by being high on caffeine 24/7."

The snickers of everyone except Ren, Weiss, Pyrrha and Vergil could be heard, Nero high fived Dante and even Ozpin smiled at the young Nephilm's joke. Glynda's scowl deepened if that was even possible and she raised her crop duster slightly but was stopped by Ozpin

The headmaster coughed to get everyone's attention "finally your progress will be monitored and graded by us-

"Whoa, whoa wait a minute. You're going to watch us?" Nero asked

"Well, we can't really evaluate your capabilities without seeing them." Ozpin responded taking another sip of the black nectar.

"Are _they_ going to be watching too?" Nero pointed to everyone else. "And don't lie to me Ozpin!" the boy spat.

Ozpin was unfazed however and calmly responded "yes, they will be viewing your progress via their personal scrolls."

As if on cue several beeps were heard and everyone checked their scrolls to see a live video of their current actions.

"Nero" Ozpin spoke to the boy now glaring at him "I assure you, these students are trustworthy" he turned to the students attentively listening "and they are not one to judge someone because they are different." The headmaster concluded.

Nero glanced at Blake "yeah" then at Weiss "well maybe not all of them." He said looking directly at her. Nero didn't have anything to back up his implication of the heiress; it was just a gut feeling.

"Anyway" he turned to Ozpin "it's my call."

Ozpin sighed disappointedly "as you wish Nero."

The entire conversation Dante has been paying close attention to everyone and turned to Vergil

"What do you think? I mean since they're our friends they're gonna _eventually_ find out."

Vergil cupped his chin in thought before going on a limb and approached the group. He glanced at Blake and gave her an apologetic look.

"What do you all think of Blake being a Faunus?"

Everyone recoiled at his words

After a few moments of silence Ruby asked "y-you know?" clearly dumbfounded. Vergil nodded

"Since when!?" Weiss exclaimed

Vergil turned his attention to Blake, his expression soft "since I first laid eyes on her."

"Oh come on!" Dante chimed in "her bow twitches for God's sake. If we can't even notice something like that then we'd be dead years ago."

Vergil coughed, "what my brother is **trying** to say is that where we originally came from was not a friendly place and we were frowned upon to the point where if any of us were seen we would be killed on sight."

The number of times they have been surprised in one day must have hit a record mark at this point and Vergil's solemn look meant that he wasn't lying.

"Blake, I'm sorry for just calling you out like that but as you can see, the importance of my question and how you answer it will determine if we can trust you." Vergil was deathly serious.

"We don't care" Jaune was surprisingly the first on to speak up. "I mean, I don't know Blake that well because, well we don't really talk but" he turned to her "whether she's a Faunus or whatever me and the rest of my team would consider her a friend any day." He stood his ground with a determined expression.

The rest of team JNPR all nodded with Nora shouting "yeah" with a smile and her fist in the air.

"Nice one vomit boy" Yang teased to which Jaune's expression turned to that of weariness and he sulked a bit. "As for me, Blake's my partner and frankly" she glanced at the Faunus girl "I don't give a damn she's not human and if anyone makes fun of her because of it" she cracked her knuckles "I'd kick their ass" she concluded with a grin.

"Rawrr" Dante purred to which Yang winked playfully.

"Same goes for me" Ruby said, looking directly at Nero "as a leader and a person, I won't treat **any** of my friends differently." Nero raised both eyebrows.

Vergil glanced at Sun and Neptune to which Sun's tail was raised for him to see

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Ditto" Neptune simply responded.

Vergil deliberately glanced at Weiss last because he could tell the heiress would be the most difficult.

Weiss glanced at Blake then Vergil and sighed "I will admit that it was" she paused to swallow "difficult for me to accept the truth, especially with her past affiliations" Vergil could see Blake's bow sagged a little "but, that's all in the past and right now she has our backs as a part of team RWBY and I have no qualms about that." Weiss concluded.

At the end a small smile graced Vergil's lips

"Soooo" Yang got his attention "what's the big secret?"

Vergil turned to Nero who looked unsure of the situation and hesitated

"Any day now Nero" Dante said

Nero glared at him "shut up Dante, we just met them a few hours ago!" he shouted

"It's alright Nero" Vergil got his attention "I trust them." Nero glanced to them as he said it.

Nero sighed in defeat and started undoing his sling whilst walking towards his sword case which was directly beside Ruby. He kicked it open in front of team leader and threw the sling inside then closed it and then with a small gulp slowly rolled up his sleeve.

Several gasps escaped the group and the record for being surprised in one day has now been broken.

Weiss pointed a trembling finger at his arm "y-y-your arm, it's-"

"Demonic?" Nero finished for her. He took a look at it, and raised for everyone to observe "don't remind me, thing drives me crazy." He casually began checking his arm

Blake approached him and laid her hands on his arm, she looked at him with her usual stoic expression "I've never met a Faunus with only their arm showing the characteristics of one."

"If only that were the case" he muttered. Blake was confused so he continued "I'm not a Faunus Blake, when I say my arm is demonic I actually meant it _really_ is demonic because" he paused to sigh "I'm half demon."

"Th-that's preposterous!" exclaimed Weiss "Demons don't exist!"

"Then what do you suppose the Grimm are exactly?" questioned the calm voice of Vergil.

"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked joining the conversation, Glynda in tow just as curious.

"Yeah Verg _what_ do you mean?" Dante questioned next to his brother" That's the first time I'm hearing this."

Now having the floor Vergil began "I've been researching the Grimm for most of my time and from what I've seen, the Grimm are eerily similar to some of the lowest chaste of demons we've fought."

"What, you mean like the lesser stygian or hell prides?" Nero asked.

"That's exactly what I mean."

"Well shit just got real" interrupted Dante.

"Okay I am completely lost here" interrupted Sun "what are you guys talking about?"

"Long story short, where we come from demons always have a social ladder and your Grimm are like the lowest of the low which means.." he paused and gestured to Vergil

"Which means" he turned to Ozpin "that there may be a group of powerful demons creating them." Vergil concluded.

Ozpin eyes widened a bit before they narrowed "we'll discuss this in detail after your initiation." Vergil nodded.

Weiss was left stuttering "what just happened? First he's half demon then it turns out the Grimm are demons and there are other demons creating them!" Weiss' brain was on over load; too much has happened in too little time.

"Wait, so are all of you half demons?" Blake asked.

"Close but no cigar" Dante said walking towards the platform "we're Nephilm."

"What's that?" Nora asked in her usual chipper attitude

Dante grinned while swaggering backwards "half demon" he turned around with two thumbs pointing to his back "half angel!" he concluded happily.

Just then a bright glow emitted from just below his neck, it spread down and to everyone's surprise formed a silver-colored double edged long sword. Nero rolled his eyes and scoffed while Vergil sighed exasperatedly, both of them walked towards the spring loaded platforms.

Ozpin turned to look at the group "I know you all have a lot of questions for them" he spoke "but for now, just watch."

Everyone then took out their scroll most of them anxious to see what they could do.

"Alright take your positions" Ozpin spoke and

Vergil was the only on e who didn't deviate from standing straight, Blake immediately knew what type of fighting style he used after all her former partner used it as well.

Nero was the first to be launched followed by Vergil Dante didn't bother with a combat stance instead he stood casually with a grin

"Alright let's get the party starTEEEED!" He was launched at the head of his sentence

 **[Play CombiChrist's 'Gotta Go' DmC OST] 2:57**

 **Tick Tack Tick Tack**

"Whoo Hooo" Dante exclaimed soaring through the sky at a hundred miles per hour.

He used angel lift to boost himself enjoying the feeling of flight for a few more moments until he finally focused on the task at hand and that is landing. So he placed a hand to his forehead to look over the forest while slowly descending, after a while his grin widened, he turned rebellion into Ophion's demon mode.

Down below a pack of Beowolves were slowly trekking towards a source they sensed in the forest when suddenly one of their ranks were pulled up into the air, the startled Grimm all looked up. Dante retracted Ophion from the Beowolf coming at him fast and turned it to rebellion before bisecting it in mid air.

Righting himself in the air he managed to change his trajectory and is now falling face first into the middle of the pack, but he wasn't finished yet, he pulled out Ebony and Ivory and began rapidly firing while spinning. Bullets began to _literally_ rain from the sky and the Beowolf soon found themselves under a hail of fire.

Before Dante landed the pack had about 27 Beowolves, when did land there were now 18 members including the Alpha who stood 8 feet tall with spikes coming from its back. Dante smirked as the Beowolves surrounded him, he pulled out Revenant

"So who's next?"

 **[Song Time 1:00]**

Meanwhile Nero was running through the forest heading North, he was using Blue Rose to shoot any resistance he met. A Boarbatusk came charging through the bushes in front, Nero immediately fired 4 bullets but they bounced off its thick armor. Suddenly an Ursa came out from his left, both Grimm looked to him and Nero immediately looked to his right arm

"This is such bullshit!" he spat, just then the Boarbatusk started spinning towards him, its quills poised to impale.

Suddenly an idea came to and he smirked and ran after the charging Grimm, he took a look at the Ursa who was going for his flank in case its companion failed, he revved Red Queen once and waited for the spinning Grimm to come within range until

"Batter Up!" he shouted with glee before he swung the sword blade first at it.

The blade connected with the thick armor but it didn't crack, instead sparks flew for a moment before Nero angled his body so he faced the Ursa, he smirked and an orange explosion from Red Queen and full swing propelled the spinning boarbatusk towards the Ursa, like a baseball.

"He shoots" Nero began as he pulled out Blue Rose and fired several times at the Grimm.

The Boarbatusk ended up launched right at the head of the Ursa with deadly accuracy, it didn't even have time to react. The Boarbatusk's quills impaled the face of the Ursa, killing it on the spot but before the body could even land from the impact, six bullets were shot into the soft underbelly of the Boarbatusk ending its life then.

"He scores" Nero finished as he began running up North again.

With his heightened sense of hearing he heard the familiar sound of glee and of bullets before he came upon the sight of Dante with his foot planted on an Alpha Beowolf's head, his shot gun aimed at it

"Lights out" he said before he pulled the trigger and Grimm blood and Brain matter painted the grass.

Nero paused to take a look around, evaporating bodies littered the placed "yep this is just about right" he muttered.

"Hey you gonna pose there all day or are you gonna finish this initiation?" He yelled which got the Nephilm's attention and shattered his after battle glow.

Dante looked at him annoyed before rolling his eyes "party pooper" he finally spoke.

Nero simply rolled his eyes and made for the ruins with Dante in tow they only made it roughly 20 feet before a horde of Nevermore came for them ranging in the tens.

"You have got to be kidding me" Nero grumbled. Not that he had a problem with fighting but the amount of Grimm attracted to his arm was becoming annoying.

Dante on the other was grateful "target practice, right on cue" he patted Nero on the back "good job Nero." He then whipped out Kablooey.

He fired several shots in the crowd and clicked a botton on the side, suddenly several explosions occurred, Dante kept doing this for ten more seconds until all the Nevermore were killed. He smirked and kissed the gun before holstering it

"Alright Nero let's go" he turned to see an outline of Nero where he _used_ to be, he then heard several shots fired followed by animalistic sounds no doubt from the Grimm he's engaging.

"That sonnuva" he stopped midway to run after his teammate.

 **[Song Time 1:57]**

Everyone on the cliff watching the initiation were thoroughly impressed by the kills shown, of course they would all be able to take on the Grimm they had fought but they did it with such apparent ease and flair that they would all admit to being at least entertained, even Weiss.

"Whoa" Jaune said "those guys are good" he had just watched Dante kill an entire pack of Beowolves with only his twin pistols and sawed-off shotgun.

"They aren't good" Yang began "they are **bad asses**!" she instantly covered her mouth while glancing at Glynda.

Glynda spared her a glance before turning her attention to the initiation, although she would not admit it, they surpassed her expectations. She glanced at Ozpin who was watching the proceedings with a small smile she then went back to it.

"It's surprising isn't it?" Ozpin spoke up

She spared him a glance "Sir?"

"They don't fight like they are hunters in training."

She hummed without a response and Ozpin didn't need one from her to know that she agreed. They fight like fully fledged and seasoned hunters as far as she could tell and somehow they have yet to scratch the surface of what those boys can do.

Theatrics aside Ozpin was observant the entire time and noticed that Nero has been hounded by the Grimm ever since he landed, as if they are drawn to him. She didn't get the time to question Nero about his arm and she is certain that it is the reason why they are going after them.

"Where's Vergil?" came Blake's voice.

Suddenly it just occurred to them that they have been so distracted with watching Dante and Nero that they completely forgot about him. Glynda then began to search the cameras but he didn't come up, what did come up however were the images of Grimm corpses now dissolving.

"Guys, I think I found him" sounded Neptune's shocked voice "He's on camera 12."

With that they all tuned in and everyone's collective jaws dropped except for Ren who stared wide eyed.

 **[Song Time 2:13]**

Vergil was running nonstop towards the ruins he had a stoic expression the whole way, in front of him were two Ursa Majors, he didn't stop instead he grip the hilt of Yamato. The two Ursa were ready to kill their latest pray, Vergil seemed to running to the space between them, they both stood up on their hind legs. One of them readied his paw to come crashing down while the other one growled loudly.

In a flash Vergil was a few feet behind the two Grimm with a dark blue trail behind him. The two Grimm didn't move an inch and the growl was cut off mid way. Vergil straightened his stance, shaking the blood off and slowly sheathed his blade.

As soon as the blade snapped in the two Ursa began disassembling right before the eyes of everyone watching, resulting in the slack jawed, wide eyed reaction. In an instant Vergil was gone, just like Ruby when using her semblance.

For the remainder of the initiation they all watched as the boys hacked and lashed their way through the hordes of Grimm until they came into the familiar clearings. Vergil was the first because he never bothered to stop much, he just slashed and ran. He knew somehow that he would be first but nonetheless stopped to look around.

 **[Song Break 2:33]**

In front of him were the fabled ruins he began jogging towards it and there on top of short stone pillars were chess pieces. He noted how all of them were kings and a smile graced his lips

"WHOO!" He was pulled from his musings by the sound of his brother's obnoxious voice.

"HEY THAT'S CHEATING!" came Nero's voice afterwards.

Vergil sighed and took up the chess piece, if there is one thing that he could agree on is that the only time those two truly got along is when they are fighting. That would explain why their arguments almost always involve violence. Vergil watched as they began running towards him almost as if it were a race, scratch that, they **are** racing.

 **[Song Start 2:34]**

Dante and Nero began shooting each other but none of their bullets even so much as grazed each other. Between Dante's rapid firing and Nero's double barrel destructive power, to the uninitiated (ie, everyone watching on the cliffs save for maybe Ozpin) it would seem to be a nigh impossible feat.

At the last minute Dante flipped in the air and used angel lift to cover the rest of the distance Nero pulled out Red Queen revved it up and used it as a jet to glide across the field. Even with that Nero was a little behind Dante who landed half a second before Nero reached

 **[Song End]**

"I win" Dante commented

"That race was bull and you know it" Nero enquired, irked at Dante.

Dante shrugged with a smirk and went towards what he thought was the relic since Vergil had one "you don't have to be such a sore loser Nero" he picked up the chess piece.

"You left me to fight the Grimm by myself" the white haired boy protested. He too picked up the chest piece standing directly in front of Dante.

"Details, details" was his nonchalant reply.

Before a full blown argument commenced Vergil interrupted with a cough

"If you two are done, we have an initiation to finish" he turned to walk away but smirked "besides its clear that **I** was the winner of that race since I came here before both of you." He concluded.

"Ok now _that_ is bull!" Dante commented.

"Yeah" Nero agreed.

Vergil ignored their bickering and they all made their way across the now broken bridge where they were waited upon by their new friends and professors as official students of Beacon Academy.

 _To Be Continued_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: No doubt you are wondering why reveal Nero's arm so early and why reveal the whole demon conspiracy in front of** _ **everyone**_ **, well honestly since Vergil was the one who spearheaded this and the fact that Nero and Dante aren't one for subtlety I figured better reveal sooner especially since the conspiracy may be bigger than anyone has ever thought.**

 **I guess what I'm trying to say is that Vergil knows that keeping it a secret would not be beneficial to anyone plus he already knows he could trust them. I will explain everyone's new role next chapter and work out some of the kinks.**


	4. Progress

**Chapter 4: Progress**

After their initiation Vergil left with Ozpin and Goodwitch to discuss his theory on the implications of the Grimm while Dante and Nero were left to deal with the numerous questions asked by teams RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Neptune.

"I can't believe it" Weiss said holding her head "angels and Demons actually exist."

"According to Vergil, _technically_ they don't" Dante assured "at least not on Remnant. Naturally anyway." He added. "But where we come from, there are plenty of 'em."

"So where are you guys from exactly?" Pyrrha enquired "it's obvious you're quite strong so it would make sense that your home isn't so different from Remnant."

"First of all I'm not 'quite' strong okay; I am 'exceptionally' strong" he popped his collar with a smug grin. Weiss and Blake rolled their eyes.

"Secondly my family and Nero are kinda the exception, since my father is the most powerful demon swordsman in hell's history and my mom is _one_ of the most powerful Arch Angel in heaven." He shrugged "so you know, me and Verg are strong by nature, it's just that we're even stronger since our parents don't make us slack off."

"What about Nero?" Blake enquired

"Nero? Aah…." he began scratching the back of his head unsure of what to say but stopped when he noticed something.

"Where _is_ Nero anyway?" Nora questioned.

Everyone started looking around until Dante grunted "that sneaky brat. He ran off when I wasn't paying attention. Dammit he always does that!" he exhaled sharply. "That kid really needs to learn how to make friends." He grumbled.

Yang had Ruby in a headlock "been there, done that" she said amongst Ruby's struggle to get away from her.

Dante smirked at her "I like your style Goldie Locks."

Yang smirked as well "whatever you say hot stuff."

They both started staring into each other's eyes. The moment was interrupted when Weiss coughed in her fist.

"Can you two stop flirting with each other long enough for Dante to answer Pyrrha's question." The heiress demanded much to the ire of them both.

"Whoa calm down ice queen" Yang spoke with a frown.

"Yeah, Weiss so serious?" Dante added with a grin.

Yang and Sun started laughing at Dante's pun. Neptune, Blake and Ren could only shake their heads slowly while Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha just watched awkwardly.

Weiss had her head in her hands "oh Monty, there's two of them now" she said miserably

Nora scratched her head "I don't get it" she said with genuine confusion.

At that the laughing ceased and Dante, Sun and Yang stared at her like she was insane.

"Anyway" Dante began as he started to tell everyone about a wonderful, magical, mystical place called earth.

* * *

Meanwhile Vergil was currently inside Ozpin's office, having to explain how he, Nero and Dante truly arrived on Remnant. If Vergil's theory is correct then their presence may indeed upset whatever demon was apparently lying dormant. To say that the news given to them was shocking is an understatement.

Glynda had her eyes wide, reeling from what the young Nephilm's story. Ozpin didn't touch his coffee, his hands were intertwined on his desk and he wore a frown. Vergil himself had a stoic expression and stood perfectly still with his hands by his side, Yamato held by his left hand. The room has been silent for a full five minutes now and Vergil could understand, even though his theory doesn't have any evidence to back it.

Finally, Ozpin wordlessly stood and walked over to the window behind him with both hands behind his back.

"Vergil" he began "this is" he paused " _very_ troubling news." You can hear the anxiety in his voice.

"Are you certain that is the case though?" Glynda spoke out "Do you have any proof?"

He shook his head "not at the moment, no. But keep in mind Mrs. Goodwitch my family has been dealing with demons for centuries now and we're able to see the patterns whenever they are involved and as disconcerting it is to admit it, the signs are especially clear."

"Is there anything we can do to avoid a full scale war with them?" Ozpin questioned "our school, no, our world is equipped to fight off the Grimm not demons."

Vergil closed his eyes "I'm afraid not" he answered morbidly "I don't know exactly what they are planning, anything involving demons always involve conflict, it is what they live for and thrive on. The demons in my realm wanted nothing but the annihilation of angels and the complete and total subjugation of mankind."

He opened his eyes to continue "the fact that there are no angels to hinder them in this world means that they will try and subjugate all of Remnant and I believe it started with the Grimm. I have a feeling that Dust as a role in all of this as well"

"How so?" Ozpin asked now turning to meet Vergil's gaze

"Well in my realm we don't refer to them as Dust, do you have any at the moment? I feel a demonstration is in order, a crystal if you have."

Ozpin nodded to Glynda and she went in the other room for a bit and came out with a yellow dust crystal. Vergil took the crystal and held it for them to see

"We refer to this as a devil star, or at least part of a devil star. It is something created in the demon world, high class demons use it for rejuvenation" the crystal began glowing in his fingers for a moment before disappearing.

Glynda straightened her glasses while Ozpin cupped his chin "you said that it is made in the demon world, then how can it be here?"

"It may have something to do with Remnant itself"

"Can you please elaborate?"

"Remnant may be similar to earth in many aspects but it is completely different, the power saturated in the atmosphere that gives you all Aura is not present on earth. I believe that is how they have been able to create it here."

"Then again" he continued "the fact that you've all found uses for it here even on a mundane level is, very surprising" he mused with a small smirk

"Mr. Sparda" Glynda scolded "please focus."

"I am sorry, it was just a thought."

Glynda exhaled sharply "you said that they would plan the subjugation of Remnant but why haven't they done so already, why wait all this time?"

Vergil cupped his chin in thought "I'm not sure" he finally said.

"Are you certain?"

"There may be a lot of reasons, for example: maybe they underestimated humans when they created Grimm and are in hiding or perhaps they are biding time waiting for more Grimm age and become as powerful as Goliaths before attacking."

"But that would take-"

"Years" Ozpin finished her sentence "many, many years."

"Centuries" Vergil corrected "demons don't have a sense of time since they are, for lack of a better word, immortal. Our parents spent over a hundred years of courtship before they were married and close to millennia before deciding to have children. So in all aspects, time is really on their side."

"However" Vergil continued "I'm afraid that our presence here may sped up whatever plans they might have had. So I think we should be very discreet about our suspicion, it would not surprise me if a demon masquerading as a human or Faunus is in Beacon right now."

Ozpin sighed while Glynda rubbed her temple, the anxiety finally getting to her causing a headache.

"Well then Vergil" Ozpin began in his usual tone "as someone experienced with these things, what exactly do you suggest?"

"Obviously I will need definitive proof, which means I will have to find it" he mused aloud "is there a place close to vale that has a large congregation of Grimm aside from the Emerald forest?"

"Mountain Glenn" he replied and continued "it was meant to be an expansion of Vale, however the plan failed and now the settlement is overrun with Grimm."

Vergil nodded to this "that would be as good a place as any to hide" he muttered while glancing to the side in thought.

"So I take it you'll be investigating the area then?" Ozpin questioned, although he already knew the answer.

"Yes" he replied, now focused again "I'll have Dante and Nero come with me" he paused "on second thought, maybe _I_ should go by myself." He concluded with a sigh.

Both professors gave him a questioning look "how should I put this" he began "I want this to be something of a reconnaissance mission and both of them aren't very good with stealth" he answered their unsaid question "Dante especially" he added with a flat look.

Both professors could agree to **that** statement although Ozpin had his doubts about sending him alone no matter how strong he is, it just wasn't the way Beacon operated, after all, not everything goes the way you planned or anticipated and anything can go wrong. Glynda seemed to share Ozpin's view and her next statement solidified this.

"Perhaps we can have two of our stealthier students to accompany you?" This got Vergil's attention and with that she continued "may I suggest Miss Belladonna" she concluded.

"Blake?" Vergil said absentmindedly but began to think about it. It was true that she was quiet to a fault, from their first meeting he observed that her footsteps were light and if anything she had experience with espionage. He didn't have any definitive proof but it would explain why she feels the need to hide her heritage: to not draw attention to herself.

Another thing to worry about would be her combat prowess in case they run into any trouble. He's not underestimating her since both Glynda and Ozpin seem to trust her and from what he's heard about the entry requirements for Beacon, her abilities in a fight should be adequate. Still, if they do indeed find a demon and they would have to fight, in a Grimm infested settlement, depending on the demon's strength he would have to take care of it personally, leaving her to fend for herself against a possible horde.

No, he needed another person on this mission just in case a situation like that occurred.

"Is there anyone else who can possibly join this mission?" he asked "even I'm not sure what would happen out there and if I do find a demon, I will have to fight it leaving Blake to fend for herself against a possible horde" he recited his thoughts.

Glynda looked in thought before replying "the only other student I could recommend that is already aware of your" she paused to clear her throat "circumstances, is Lie Ren."

"Lie Ren" Vergil remembered meeting him, the boy who had the one pink highlight, from what he observed he shared much in common with Blake. Both were quiet and seemed to be hyperaware of their environment and seem to always be on guard. The only difference is while Blake's awareness seemed to stem from what he could only describe as experience, with her being a Faunus, Ren's awareness seemed conditioned, as if he was thought to be on guard at all times.

That kind of conditioning Vergil is well aware of as it is similar to his, which means that Ren must have been also trained in traditional martial arts. It was a little farfetched considering that he never actually spoke to him but Vergil has never doubted his observation skills but just to be sure.

"What are his skills exactly?" he questioned curiously.

Glynda saw what he was trying to do and replied "Mr. Lie is a close combat specialist who is able to focus his Aura to deliver fatal one hit strikes" she pushed up her glasses.

' _Just as I thought'_ Vergil commented internally.

"His weapons also allow for mid-range attacks" she added.

"That'll be good" he said.

"Are you sure three persons will be enough though?" Glynda asked.

He nodded "yes professor Goodwitch. I'm more comfortable working with two persons rather than three anyway" he shrugged.

"Very well then" Ozpin spoke "I think enough has happened for today, so why don't you head back to your dorm room, we will contact you and both of them tomorrow."

With that, Vergil excused himself from the room and after exiting the elevator he realized he hadn't eaten anything yet. Not that he needed to eat anything since that dust crystal he absorbed a while ago pretty much filled him up. With that thought eating would probably be moot at this point. He also made a mental note to research other known areas of Remnant that are Grimm infested.

* * *

Nero was beginning to get frustrated, he stealthily made his way from the group before any questions were tossed his way. Honestly if any of them were to pester him about his arm he would tear them a new one especially since he had questions of his own.

He looked to his arm which was re-casted, he also wore his black leather glove as well. The more he stared at it the more questions popped up among them being "why now? Why here? Why did Vergil agreed to enroll into this freaking school!? He knew the answer but it still pissed him off to be taking classes, it seemed like Fortuna all over again.

He sighed in defeat before furrowing his brow. He missed Eva, she would always know just how to calm him down, like a mother would and even though she wasn't his he still thought of her as more of a mother than his biological one.

His scowl deepened remembering 'her' and it made his mood even worse. Pushing unwanted thoughts to the back of his subconscious he returned to his earlier problem, that being

"Where the hell's my locker?" he stated in frustration and annoyance.

He loved his weapons very much but the fact that he couldn't just summon them like Vergil and Dante was a problem. Carrying them around with him was an option but that would cause problems with the faculty, not that he gave a rat's ass what they think but he'd rather be left alone than be hassled by them, it just wasn't worth it.

Storing them in their dorm room was the most viable option and he was headed for his room when he remembered seeing something while he was on his scroll the very first day. It was a locker feature and after tapping on the icon he read that students could store weapons and gear in said locker. The most convenient thing about it though is that you could summon the locker almost anywhere you are with the push of a button.

Convenience at its finest right? Well you know what would be even more convenient? If he could **find the** _ **damn thing**_!

"ARRRGH" Nero groaned loudly.

Seriously though what the hell kind of order system does this place use? Looking at his scroll his locker number was 76859 but there was no order to this place. Locker number 76858 was in the middle of numbers 76532 and 46789, what the hell!? Looking around, the surrounding lockers were like that as well, just random numbers bunched together.

It was like Ozpin was mocking him, remembering the Wizard of Oz the thought of the headmaster hitting a 'shuffle the lockers' button when he spied him heading for this direction wasn't so farfetched. Nero shambled along the _very_ large locker room looking over the numbers but he suddenly stopped as an idea formed in his mind

He looked on his scroll or more specifically his locker's launch codes

"You know what? S **crew. This."**

Nero was now outside fiddling with his scroll, he looked up with a wide grin when the sound akin to a rocket blasting off. A glance to the sky confirmed his guess as he was staring at his rocket propelled locker on a crash course to his location.

It landed directly to his right with a loud *CRASH* however Nero was unfazed and simply went about using the personal codes on his scroll to open it. After carefully placing Blue Rose and Red Queen inside he closed it and sent it away only he ran inside to see where it would land with the mental consensus of

' _No way in hell I'm going through this shit again!'_

The locker rocket landed a few ways from the entrance through one of the many circular hatches on the ceiling. Nero memorized that particular spot and looked at the bright side: the way how he was moving to find it before, it would've taken hours if he hadn't thought of that idea.

Now with the locker problem settled he decided to head back to the dorms since he didn't have anything left to do. At that moment the sun was almost setting, the corridor he was walking on was painted in an orange hue.

"How long was I searching for that stupid locker?" the young half demon mumbled before looking out the window, not stopping he was too concerned with the sight of the shattered moon "man, I will never get used to tha-oof!"

Someone or some _thing_ crashed into him and it was going incredibly fast because it managed to knock him unto his back while letting out an adorable "eep" upon collision. So it was there, on his back that Nero stared at the ceiling or more specifically at.

' _Rose petals?'_ he thought in slight confusion.

Nero was broken from his trance as he heard "ugh" and came face to face with who was now on top of him. Their gazes met she blushed madly and Nero had a tint of red too but mostly kept it in check, choosing instead to address the person gazing at him.

"Ruby?"

* * *

 _Ten Minutes ago…_

Dante had teams RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Neptune hang out in team NVD's room, space wasn't a concern since it was a four person bedroom shared by only three persons and the boys packed light. Somewhere during the day the extra bed was moved out so the space was large enough to hold everyone.

All eyes were directed to the Nephilm as he regaled them with tales of his past battles with the demon horde, they were a little apprehensive at first since their Grimm Studies teacher; Peter Port did that too but found that Dante's stories were actually better. Does he brag, hell yes, but he doesn't make it awkward or crack a lame joke in between, plus, somehow his bragging is at least believable, especially after what they saw in initiation.

Ruby and Nora were positively vibrating with excitement, thoughts of going toe to toe with the dark creatures of the abyss. Yang had a similar reaction but more composed, if there were actual demons in Remnant then she'd definitely be the first girl in all of remnant to fight one. Weiss had an indignant look, taking in the story while visibly displeased with his showboating even while not as offbeat as Port's, was nonetheless annoying. In fact, the only thing preventing her from voicing her displeasure was her close proximity to Neptune, whom gave her subtle glances every now and then much to her delight.

Pyrrha and Jaune excused themselves or more like Pyrrha did and literally dragged Jaune off with her to Monty knows where, completely ignoring his protests. Dante didn't mind, if he's learned anything from seeing his parents together it's that when your special lady asks you to do something, it wasn't a question.

Ren and Blake were seemingly ignoring him at the moment; the former quietly enjoyed the distraction of his childhood friend away from him by meditating while actually listening to him. The latter helped herself to one of Vergil's 'other worldly' stash of literature, how he actually got it or any of their belongings into the dorm room was something she _wanted_ to ask but found the current read too engaging to even _care_. She was halfway through the book, sitting on Vergil's bed next to his small private collection.

The name of the book in that had Blake distracted so much? The title read _A Song of Ice and Fire_ and in her opinion so far, has just made it up the ladder to one of her all time favorites, up there with _Ninja's of Love._ Blake was so caught up in the book that had yet to notice another presence sneaking up on her.

"Enjoying yourself?" a voice whispered in her ear causing her to almost jump out of her skin.

However she had enough self control to limit it to a slight jolt instead of straight up claw at whoever was brave enough to interrupt her. She turned around to see Sun Wukong looking at her with a grin, no doubt from getting the drop on her. Blake frowned in displeasure; her sharp gaze spoke volumes of how much she hated him at the moment.

It wasn't until Blake subtly showed one of her teeth that the monkey Faunus finally realized just how deep he was in "whoa, calm down Blake" his hands were held up in surrender however it didn't manage to change her expression.

Cold sweat began forming on his forehead in the face of her glare "I'm sorry" he apologized with a pleading expression.

After a few moments of him squirming under her gaze Blake sighed "it's alright Sun" her gaze reverted to the book but she could feel his eyes on her. "Do you need something?" She asked not taking her eyes off the page.

Sun was quiet for once, which was odd considering he was very talkative since they met. She peaked from the corner of her eye to see him staring at her as if contemplating something. With that in mind she sighed again, marked the page where she left off and closed the book to give Sun her undivided attention.

"What is it?" she asked curiously. If anything could get someone like him to be quiet then it must at least warrant her full attention.

"Sooo" he began "I hear there's this dance thing going on next weekend" he paused to gauge her reaction.

Ah that, Blake's heard other students talk about an event like that around, though she didn't see the need for a combat school to have something as pedestrian as a dance when they were supposed to be training to defend the world from the Grimm or terrorists and heck, apparently demons as well.

Sun saw her nod slightly in affirmation "sounds pretty lame" she concured "but" he continued and to her slight confusion he gestured to both of them "you and me I'm thinking, not _as_ lame huh?" he finished and Blake couldn't help but notice the nervousness in his voice.

Still nervousness or not Blake was a bit confused with the situation and more suspicious with the blonde before her so with narrowed eyes she said.

"What?"

Somehow the small speck of nervousness left him and he just went with it "the dance next weekend, you wanna go or what?"

"I-uh" she trailed off to think.

Blake wasn't expecting that or at least not so _early_ , of course she was well aware of her appearance and the effect it had on the opposite gender, she just doesn't flaunt it around like her partner. So she was expecting at some point closer to the dance to be approached by boys vying for her affection and intended to reject each and every one of them.

Being caught off guard aside, Sun of all people asking her wasn't something she was entirely surprised about since it was obvious to her that he harbored some feelings for her since they first locked eyes and he winked at her. Another thing Blake noticed that she may have overlooked before was the room, which was, for some inconceivable reason, completely and utterly devoid of all sound.

Blake shifted her eyes ever so slightly to see that behind Sun, _everyone_ was looking at them, of course the boy in question was oblivious to them or perhaps he was purposefully ignoring that fact. Blake could see that everyone gave her and Sun their undivided attention, and yes that included Lie Ren who maintained his meditative position but was undoubtedly paying attention to them.

Blake could see Yang mouthing something to her, at this point she could see the worry in Sun's eyes at her lack of a response, but nonetheless she tried to decipher what Yang was telling her. The brawler was mouthing it consistently next to Ruby who had her hands over her mouth, she looked like she was holding her breath for some reason.

Anyway Blake used her lip reading skills, honed during her espionage days in the White Fang to see what Yang was constantly mouthing. At this rate Yang was basically whisper shouting so instead of lip reading her acute sense of hearing picked up the words

" _Say Yes"_ what? _"SAY YES!"_

It had been over ten seconds since Sun popped the question and she was about to reject him when a thought came into play.

' _Should I?'_ she wondered internally.

Blake by no means had feelings for the fellow Faunus and didn't exactly _want_ to participate in the upcoming dance. However, if there is one thing that could be said about Blake Belladonna is that she always repaid her debts and she no doubtable owed a debt to Sun Wukong. He was the one who comforted her when she revealed herself as a Faunus formerly of the White Fang and talked her out of dropping out of Beacon.

He also helped her with trying to find out the reason why the White Fang was stealing Dust, though that brought about even more unanswered questions. Still, he had her back throughout that entire ordeal, so the least she could do was endure a night of loud people gathering and dancing to even louder music.

With her mind resolute she answered "sure" with the faintest of smiles tugging her lips.

For his part Sun let loose a breath he had unknowingly held the entire time and beamed at her "GREAT" he exclaimed before coughing to which she couldn't help but giggle "I-I mean uh, great so I'll" he mulled over his words "see you around?"

Before Blake could respond Yang, Ruby and Nora bomb rushed her and effectively tossed Sun out of their new circle, literally. Yang deemed his usefulness done for now and pushed him away so hard he almost landed on Dante. That is if Sun didn't do an air flip to land where Dante was in a perfect sitting position on the bed with a bounce, Dante himself had casually moved to the side to accommodate his new passenger.

The first thing Sun did was fist bump Dante, he then turned to Neptune who nodded at him coolly and spoke "gotta admit, didn't think she'd actually go for it."

Sun grinned "and **that** my blue haired friend is _exactly_ why I am the leader and you are the nerdy sidekick"

"For the last time it's _intellectual_ " Neptune growled.

"Hey" Dante butted in "where I'm from, if it walks like a nerd and talks like a nerd then we call it what it is" he finished with an expression of utmost seriousness that was mirrored by Sun and both fist bumped without taking their gazes off of Neptune.

The bluenette could only face palm "I hate you guys, so much" he muttered, Weiss could only offer a sympathetic pat on the back, she knew all too well what it's like to surrounded by 'imbeciles'.

"Anyway" Dante began "break it up you girls" at this they all turned to the playfully crossed Nephilm "it's bad enough that I didn't know about this dance, but I will not have the fact that I'm the only guy who doesn't have a date rubbed in my face, in my own room!" he exclaimed the last part.

There was silent before Ruby spoke "Neptune doesn't have a date" she said a matter-of-factly.

Dante gave her a 'really' look before, not so subtly, glancing at Weiss who still had her hand on Neptune's shoulder. By the time Ruby looked at her partner she was already a distance away from the bluenette with a blush present.

Yang made a note to tease her later but for now "we should celebrate Blake finally getting a boyfriend" Blake looked to her partner in horror

"He is not-"

" **YEAH!** "Blake was cut off by the combined cheering of Ruby and Nora.

"Alright" Yang concluded

"I left the board game in the library" Ruby added quickly.

"I'm surrounded by simpletons" Weiss groaned, mirroring Neptune's earlier position.

Ruby ran outside just as three Haven students passed the door. She ran for a good few minutes across the campus using her semblance until

*CRASH*

"Oof"

"Eep"

* * *

 _Present Time_

"…Ruby"

"Yes?"

"Get, off" his tone was dark and it made her eyes widened "..please?" he added after remembering that she gets her feelings hurt kinda quickly.

She immediately got off "I'm so sorry, it was accident!" she said pleadingly

"It's fine" he sat up "so why were you running around anyway" he said more as a way to start a conversation than actually caring, as such he hardly paid attention to Ruby as she recollected the tale of what happened that led up to her running into him. Not that he could understand most of what she was saying anyway since she was talking so fast.

As he dusted his coat off, he managed to pick up what was important for _him_ to know, that is: Dante, Ruby's entire team, half of JNPR, Sun and Neptune were currently in his dorm. This meant that he wouldn't get any peace and quiet in there and the worst part? He didn't have his freaking headphones and you can bet he's not stepping foot in that room now.

During his thoughts he forgot that Ruby was still talking and so he put a hand over her mouth "Ruby"

"Yeph?"

"Can you lead the way?" he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Sure" she said elated but it became uneasiness "but weren't you on your way to the dorms?"

He looked in that general direction before shrugging "I was looking for a way to kill some time anyway, might as well go to the library" who knows, he might be able to scout a secluded spot away from prying eyes in case he needed to hid-er 'get away from it all.'

Ruby nodded and turned her back to him to lead the way to the library. Nero was oblivious to the victorious grin at her progress with Nero as a friend.

* * *

Vergil found himself in a peculiar situation, earlier today after leaving Ozpin's office he went about exploring the academy but stopped. Why you ask, well truthfully, he was drawn to something there. Vergil had sensitivity to certain types of energy, unlike Nero who can't sense them properly and Dante who had poor sensitivity towards them.

What he was sensing was definitely unique in nature, it was akin to a weaker version of demonic or angelic power. This feeling led him to the roof entrance, slowly without a sound he cracked open the door to peek through and what he saw made his eyebrow arch.

Right there, on the roof, was Jaune and Pyrrha, holding hands while meditating which wasn't as odd as the phenomenon he was seeing. Pyrrha was surrounded by a faint red glow.

' _This must be Aura'_ he assessed.

He then turned his attention to Jaune who had a similar outline only his Aura was pure white and to Vergil, it made him look almost, benevolent. Then something clicked, he sensed something else coming from the blonde knight, it was faint, very much so but

' _It can't be'_ Vergil thought before he closed the door quietly and made his way from the scene all the while pondering what he just saw and felt, not to mention the implication if he were to tell this to Ozpin.

Vergil was so deep in thought he didn't pay proper attention to his surroundings and as he rounded the corner past two students he bumped into someone, thankfully it was really a bump and both of them merely took a step back from the initial impact.

Vergil went to apologize but had to do a double take at the person's appearance. _She_ was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl he has seen in Beacon so far and every girl he has met since his enrollment was above average in the looks department. She had pale skin, her hair looked silky smooth and would have reached her back if it wasn't neatly over her shoulder, from there Vergil could see that near the tip of her locks the colors shifted from deep black to ash grey.

Her left eye was also covered by her hair but the visible eye was yellowish-orange which was unique. In fact it was her eyes which garnered his attention as he peered into them, they conveyed a deep sense of mystery to the Nephilm and he subconsciously believed he would be able to solve it if he kept his gaze on it.

His father however has thought him better than that and he schooled his emotions which were more of curiosity that anything else, especially since the woman in question was looking at him.

"I apologize, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" he apologized.

The woman gazed at him for a moment before smiling at him; it was the type smile that would make a weaker man shudder. Except Vergil has seen that gaze before, many times and was accustomed to it, although now he was very suspicious of her.

She approached him, her gaze attempting to burrow into his very being yet he didn't even flinch under it.

"It is quite alright, young man" her voice was sultry yet he feels it is unintentional, it could easily send shivers of ecstasy down a normal teenager's spine. To Vergil though, she was simply confirming his suspicions.

She stepped into his guard, invading his personal space and placed a hand on cheek before tracing the contours of his jaw, sensually.

"Do be careful in the future" she continued "or you might hurt someone" she finished with a smirk as Vergil blinked at her boldness.

From what he could tell, she was enjoying this, very much so and for some reason that didn't sit right with Vergil. Suddenly he could hear the voice of his brother urging him to _"put this chick in her place."_

And so, Vergil gently grasped her hand leaned even closer, forcing her to lean back. Vergil smiled warmly to her subtly shocked expression, it wasn't much as her smile was replaced with a barely opened mouth and her eyes widened slightly. As mentioned before it wasn't much of a change but to Vergil it was enough because she didn't expect to be on the receiving end of someone's boldness for once.

"I will keep that in mind, miss?" he left the question hanging.

Her coy expression returned as if to accept his challenge "Cinder~" she practically purred while straightening her posture "Cinder Fall" she concluded.

"Vergil Sparda" he replied before bowing slightly with on hand grasping her hand tenderly while the other one was behind his back.

With his brother's imaginary urgings, his mother's teachings, his father's etiquette training and just generally feeling bold, Vergil kissed the back of Cinder's hand. He didn't see the more pronounced shocked expression she gave before it faded away as fast as it came.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance" he said before letting her hand go.

"Charmed" she replied looking over the man before her, her smile never fading but on the inside she was assessing him thoroughly.

It was obvious to Cinder that he was more than meets the eye, but no matter how much she looked he was as much of a mystery as perhaps herself. That's it, he was an unknown and if there was anything she disliked it was an unknown especially for her plans. She would have to investigate him.

"Well then Vergil if you'll excuse me" she went to go around him but he stepped to the side and gestured for the now clear path where her two cohorts who were gawking at the entire exchange, the tan skinned girl even more so.

Cinder glanced at Vergil who maintained his smile and stood in place, a slight frown was shown as she walked away _'is he mocking me?'_ she wondered.

"I hope we meet again Miss Fall" he said earnestly. Her reply was to look over her shoulder and walk past her teammates. Vergil rounded the corner and couldn't help but chuckle at her subtle reaction of dissatisfaction.

Cinder frowned, that had not gone the way she had expected a situation like that to have gone. She actually enjoyed flirting, if anything to just watch the reactions of the boys, she relished in watching them squirm, it was one of her small pleasures. Though, no one has ever turned it against her like he had, oh they would try but would ultimately end up stuttering like fools under her sharp gaze. It wasn't a competition, yet she couldn't help but feel she lost that little confrontation.

"That guy was smooth" Mercury commented impassively.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emerald questioned or more like ordered.

The grey haired boy merely shrugged "just saying, never seen boss lady get one over her like that before. You gotta admit he handled her like a pro" he finished, seemingly forgetting that the person in question was within striking distance of him.

Emerald's eyes widened and she looked to Cinder who had her back turned, she gave no outward reaction to Mercury's accusation.

"Shut up Mercury" she warned through gritted teeth with a threatening look.

He held his hands up in surrender "hey I'm just calling it how I see it and what I saw was the guy working ove-"

"Children" Cinder's voice interrupted "be quiet" she finished. Her voice was the same although if one were to record it and play it over a couple of times then an analyst _might_ be able to pinpoint that slight edge it had.

Vergil had a smile, he thought that went pretty well (for him) but he really did hope they meet again. He would never admit it to anyone but he loved a good mystery, if Dante craved adventure and the thrill of action then finding and solving mysteries would be his thing. So far he hasn't been enrolled in Beacon for a full day and there are already several mysteries for him to solve.

Vergil swiped his scroll on the pad next to his door and he opened it to see Dante, Sun and Yang conversing, Nora babbling to Ren who was _trying_ to meditate while Neptune was talking to a giggling Weiss and Blake reading from his private collection.

"What's up Verg?" Dante called out and everyone else now took note of his presence.

Blake in particular looked as if she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar though it hardly showed, her eyes merely widened. He raised his hands to signal that it was alright, she nodded and continued to read.

"I wonder what's taking Ruby so long?" Yang mused aloud.

"She's only been gone for like ten minutes" Dante said "Isn't the library almost on the other side of beacon?" he finished.

Yang chuckled much to his confusion "trust me D, she's faster than you think."

"Speaking of" Vergil walked from the door to his bed where Blake was "where is Nero?" Vergil asked.

"Dunno" his twin replied "he escaped when I wasn't looking."

Vergil hummed before whipping out his scroll and check the team tracking feature.

"It looks like he's in the library" Vergil said after a few moments.

Suddenly the room became deathly quiet, Yang, Dante, Nora and Weiss looked to him and the only word that escaped Dante and Yang's mouth were

"What?"

"It says here that his scroll is in the library" Vergil clarified.

Dante and Yang took out their scrolls and searched for their younger members, both stood side by side to compare scroll locations and soon enough it showed both Nero and Ruby as being in the library. It also showed they were in close proximity to each other, now what would two unsupervised hormonal teenagers be doing in an almost deserted building?

It was Weiss who spoke after standing up "are the both of them?"

Dante and Yang shared a look before bolting out the door so fast you'd think a gust of wind blew through the place

"W-wait for me" Weiss shouted as she tried to catch up to them. Ruby was her partner and despite her partner's intentions, Nero doesn't strike her as the friendly type and excluding his 'arm' she sees Nero as a bad influence on her leader.

"Come on Ren" Nora chirped dragging the boy to his feet "I don't wanna miss this!" she finished but a hand on her shoulder stopped her, she turned to see it was Vergil.

"Actually Nora, I'd like to speak with Ren for a moment" Nora and Ren had a puzzled expression.

Nora spared Ren a glance and he gave her a barely noticeable smile "go on Nora, I'll meet you at the dorms"

Nora shared an unsure glance between her childhood friend and her new friend before nodding "okay Renny I'll tell you the details later!" she said with a bright smile before running out.

Vergil then turned to Sun and Neptune, they got the message immediately as Sun got up and stretched

"Whelp, it's getting pretty late, right Neptune?"

His partner agreed "yeah, we better get going before curfew, see you around Vergil" he did a two fingered salute and casually headed for the door.

"See you later Blake, Vergil, Ren" Sun added before closing the door behind him.

Blake stood up with eyes on the book and began to walk away.

"I want to speak with you as well Blake" Vergil interrupted her causing the Faunus-in-disguise to glance at him before returning to her former position.

Ren sat on Nero's bed and Vergil took Dante's, he lurched forward, interlacing his fingers and propped his elbows on his thighs. He looked between Ren, who was looking at him with a stoic expression while Blake was still reading but he had no doubt that she was paying attention as her bow wasn't arched slightly in his direction.

"As you have heard me stated earlier today, I believe that demons are responsible for the incursion of Grimm on Remnant" he said coolly.

Ren nodded slowly while Blake's eyes glanced from the book, the look on his face and his tone meant that this was something worth her undivided attention. She sighed and marked the page before closing the book.

"About that" Blake began "how exactly could demons be responsible for the Grimm?"

"That is a good question Blake, but let's get something straight" he paused "the Grimm _are_ demons or that is what I believe."

"Are they any different from the ones you've encountered before?" Ren asked.

Vergil nodded "yes and no" he paused before continuing. "I've never seen demons like the Grimm before however their actions, the feeling of emptiness I get from them and even the way they disappear into black ash, are exactly like demons."

"That still doesn't answer my question" Blake interrupted.

"Yes well you see, I believe at some point a demon or a group of demons came to Remnant and created the Grimm, for whatever reasons I am not 100% sure."

"How are you sure it's not just a demon native to Remnant?" Ren questioned.

Vergil seemed to mull over his words "because if it were, I would have sensed demonic energy, high class demons may be able to mask it but if it was a native demon then there would be more of them and I'd be able to sense them."

Ren hummed in response,

Vergil turned his attention to Blake "now to answer your question Blake. When a Grimm dies it evaporate into black smoke correct?" she nodded in affirmation.

"It is common knowledge in my world that demons have found a means to, for lack of a better term, _recycle_ low level demons."

"What?"

"It's simple, there are certain types of demons capable of actually recreating other low class demons using the essence of the ones that died. I believe that black smoke is what they use, eventually it will be collected by that demon and more Grimm would be created from it" he stopped to gauge their reactions.

They both looked as impassive as ever however Vergil could tell that they are thinking thoughtfully about the information. It was an alarming thought indeed, knowing that for every one of those monsters you kill another is being created somewhere by something not thought to have existed. In that case wouldn't it mean that the war with Grimm was futile?

It was Ren who asked the question Vergil didn't expect "you want us to help you find this demon, correct?"

Vergil liked Ren, he's more critical than most, nonetheless he nodded "you haven't received the mission from professor Ozpin yet but I will be leading a small reconnaissance team into mountain Glenn in search of such a demon, if there is one." He added.

"You aren't sure there is one?" Blake asked.

He shook his head "not really, it's purely speculation at this point. Anyway I just wanted to give you two a heads up before so you could clear your schedule. The mission will be on the weekend" He concluded before looking at the book Blake was reading.

"I see you've helped yourself to my private collection" he commented.

Blake was at a loss for words, personally she wouldn't like it if someone went through her private book collection especially without permission. Truthfully though she was just curious about them at first since Dante said they were from his world, she wanted to maybe read a little and then put it back and if she liked what was read would ask Vergil to borrow it later, after all it's not every day you can read a book from a different dimension.

The book she chose however, was so good that she became immersed in the story, ah the story of love, lust, war and most prominently, **betrayal**.

"If you like I could lend it to you, along with its continuation series"

Her bow perked, there's more?

Vergil looked to Ren "what about you Ren?" he asked.

The stoic boy looked to both of them before saying "I read in my spare time" he answered.

 _And so the Beacon Secret Book Lovers Club was established_

* * *

The sun had gone down fully, now replaced by the shattered moon, it would serve to be a peaceful night where students were peacefully chatting and walking about.

"OUTTA THE WAY!"

Except for four students

"Coming through" Dante said as he skillfully bobbed and weaved his way pass the students, a grin on his face. His face was set like that ever since he found out that Nero was alone, with a girl, _his_ age, in close proximity. He looked to his scroll again to see that his younger teammate hasn't move from his spot in the library

' _Time for my boy to be a man'_ he shouted in elation internally.

Yang was running beside Dante every step of the way except her expression was set in a cross between anger and worry. It was one thing to tease Ruby about having a relationship with Nero, heck who wouldn't, Nero was her age, he was good in a fight not to mention as socially inept as her, maybe even worse and is apparently a weapons geek.

Still his attitude was far from Ruby's, Dante makes light of it and she can trust _him_ since he's a lot like her, the thrill seeking life of the party who knows when to get serious. Nero on the other hand is another story, she would agree with Weiss in saying that he would be a bad influence on her, as painful as it to admit agreeing to anything with the 'princess'.

Yang saw the smile Dante sported and somehow it seemed to her that Dante _wanted_ Nero to be alone with her little sister. Then she remembered how he introduced Ruby, like they were on some dating show. That rubbed the blonde brawler the wrong way and she gritted her teeth when she spoke

"You better hope _your_ teammate isn't doing anything to _my_ sister!" she shouted.

Dante's smile dropped as he looked at Yang in confusion "what?"

"You seem happy that Nero's alone with Rubes"

"Yeah I am, so?" he asked again, not liking the look on her face.

"So~" she began, her voice with fake mirth but her expression turned dark "I hope for his sake he doesn't do anything 'inappropriate' with Rubes" she finished.

Dante stared at her with a blank expression before he frowned, then narrowed his eyes until his expression mirrored Yang's. Dante was a laid back person and it isn't easy to rile him up, even when lives are stake his attitude is always a solid go with the flow. If there is _one_ thing that could royally piss off Dante Sparda, it would be when someone insults his family not him but his _family_ , especially when they don't know what they're talking.

As they reached the library Dante grabbed Yang by the arm and with an impressive show of strength slammed her into the wall beside the entrance. Yang found herself face to face with a scowling Dante glaring at her.

"Now you listen to me _blondie,_ you don't know what you're talking about" he began right before Yang swatted his arms away and glared back at him "who the hell are you to judge him huh!?" he spat.

Nora ran up to Weiss who witnessed the entire exchange, she had a blank expression.

Ignoring the tension she asked "what's going on?"

Dante and Yang eyed Nora and the boy spoke "nothing, just getting something straight" he turned to Yang "listen Xiao Long, you don't want Nero to be friends with your sister fine, just say the word and I'll tell Nero to avoid her" he stepped closer "but, if you ever threaten my family again" his eyes glowed a ethereal red with white irises and red vein like cracks ran across the surrounding skin " **you and I will have words** " his face reverted back to normal and he left the stunned blonde.

Nora and Weiss watched as he walked inside the library, the only movement from Yang was to lower her head so that the bangs shadowed her eyes. She slowly eased off the wall and walked inside the library as well.

Nora's bubbly nature was gone, replaced with shock and maybe a twinge of fear but nonetheless she tried to maintain it by laughing it off, albeit nervously

"I guess he really is, half demon, huh?" she said awkwardly.

Weiss could only nod, she'd never felt something like that before in her life, for a moment it was as if he had turned into a Grimm, no, even the Grimm didn't give off anything like what she felt from Dante. Compared to Dante the Grimm might as well be, nothing. She and Nora then walked inside the library only to see Dante and Yang hiding behind a bookshelf, peeking through a few books to view the other side.

Weiss and Nora looked to each other then at their friends, it was as if what happened before never _did_ happen. Both girls approached them

"Hey" Nora greeted

Dante and Yang snapped their heads to the two newcomers, almost like startled animals

Weiss arched an eyebrow and continued where the bubbly girl left off "what are you two do-"

She didn't get to finish her question as Dante and Yang grabbed them and held them against their chest behind the bookshelf. Both had their mouths covered, Dante had to clamp his hand down on Nora's hard because she was still trying to talk a mile a minute, completely unfazed.

Weiss on the other hand glared at her teammate silently while Yang placed a hand over her lips, gesturing her to be quiet. Dante on the other hand went for a verbal approach

"Nora"

The hammer wielder stopped her muffled talk to respond "Yepgh?"

"Could you not say anything for 5 minutes?"

Nora nodded vigorously and he slowly uncapped her mouth, Yang did the same with a now annoyed Weiss who geared to lecture both of them but was shocked to find Yang and Dante promptly ignore their presence.

Weiss had a gaped expression when she heard a silent squeal from Nora who was mimicking their position with a book pushed aside to view the other side. Now curious as to what these 'dunces' were staring at she went beside Yang and pushed a few books aside. What she saw on the other side, well, shouldn't be as surprising to her as it was when she thought about it later but nevertheless was caught off guard by it.

There, sitting around the table, Team RWBY was at not so long ago was Ruby and Nero who looked to be enjoying a game of 'World of Remnant.' Actually, 'enjoying' seems to be an exaggeration seeing as how Nero and surprisingly even Ruby had the most serious expression her and Yang have seen outside of a battle, or when someone messes with her cookies.

*Epic Battle Song* _And it was there, that the New Sparda Republic (NSR) was caught in a deadlock with the Red Rose Empire (RRE). After a successful assault by the queen of the RRE the NSR have now found its food supply cut in half. Its general seeing no way out has no other choice but to surrender and soon the title of Remnant's ruler shall be Rub-_

"Would you knock it off with the monologues already?" Interrupted a voice, "It's embarrassing" the voice finished.

*Record Scratch*

Nero glared at Ruby who, in the middle of her tirade, was posing on top of her seat dramatically. She then proceeded to look at the few people glaring at her, some from behind their books, turn red with embarrassment before coming down whilst laughing nervously. Nero shook his head slowly

' _And to think, we're the same age'_ he thought dejectedly.

Behind the bookshelf Weiss also shook her head slowly at her leader. Meanwhile Yang had a mile wide grin and turned to her accomplice

"Please tell me you're getting this" she asked Dante who was videoing with his scroll

Dante turned to her with a 'really' look "you think I'd miss out on capturing the perfect teasing material?"

Yang could only grin at him, now why was she angry with him again?

An overly dramatic "nooooo" was heard coming from Ruby. Looks like the NSR made a comeback. This went back and forth for another ten minutes with a steady deadlock, neither truly gaining an advantage for long on the other.

Weiss sighed and broke away from the group, she originally came here because she was worried about Ruby but since they aren't up to anything scrupulous the heiress had no reason to stay.

"Where are you going princess?" Yang asked.

Weiss sighed indignantly before whirling around "it's obvious they aren't up to anything. I see no reason why we should be staying here spying on two children playing a board game."

Yang blinked at her answer, even Dante and Nora turned to look at her. Dante's gaze softened and he stopped recording to truly look at scene before him. Nero was actually having fun and for once it wasn't inside of a fight.

' _It's a start'_ he thought before pocketing his scroll.

Yang saw this and shrugged "guess you have a point" she mumbled taking one last look at the duo before leaving with Weiss.

Dante walked off before coming back and yanking Nora away"come on Nora, let's give the love birds some privacy."

"Aww" she moped.

They were almost out the door when they overheard some comments

"I'm glad that idiot Dante isn't here right now" said boy stopped in his tracks "I swear sometimes I think he gets his kicks from messing with me."

"Ugh, tell me about it" Ruby agreed "Yang's the same way." The blonde stopped opening the door halfway.

They both made eye contact before a mischievous grin formed on their faces _'my teasing sense is tingling.'_

"Shall we?" Yang questioned

Dante let go of Nora and "ladies first" he replied with a courteous bow while gesturing her to go ahead.

"Ooh, a gentleman, I like~" she purred to which he winked.

Weiss face palmed while Nora looked on in amusement, stifling her giggles

" **Say our names and we shall appear!** " they both yelled in unison

"Eek!"

*Groan* "dammit!"

Weiss had enough and just walked away, having been fed up with them.

To Be Continued

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Sorry if this chapter didn't contain any action but I'm trying to take this one slow, Monty knows I have to with how long each chapter is. Plus I hate rushed work, so yeah, I'm going to be fusing the main stories along with some fluff on the side, which will be random on my part, while doing character development and progressing the story. Then again I specifically say that this is a romance fic so you should be expecting fluff.**

 **I will be honest I don't know if I captured the RWBY characters well because most of this stuff I got from reading a lot of RWBY fanfics along with my own speculations so they may be iffy. An example of this would be Weiss in the beginning, I used first season Weiss accidentally, instead of the slightly more mellowed version in season 2.**

 **Some of you might be taken aback by Vergil and as you can see he isn't like his classic counterpart or the reboot version. Well this is my interpretation of how Vergil would be if he was raised properly by his parents along with Dante into his late teens. So of course being around** _ **Dante**_ **for so long, some of his brother would rub off on him and vice versa.**

 **I suppose I don't have to explain Dante so much since from what I learned from the reboot game, he's always been impulsive and his mother loved him for that so the only change would be that he doesn't curse as much. He doesn't act like an asshole in the fic like he did in the game because he had a loving family and wasn't alone in his fight against demons. And it is** _ **because**_ **he experienced love growing up that he wants the same for Nero, by having Ruby become his** _ **friend**_ **.**

 **Nero's personality is the same for when he is in DMC4 except he never knew Kyrie so he's basically an angry kid who doesn't give a crap about what people think, spits on authority and generally doesn't give a shit. How he has demon powers connected to Sparda? I'll explain it somewhere down the line but for now, I'll leave it up to your imaginations. Hint: he is not a clone and Sparda did not have an affair.**

 **One final note and fair warning: I would like to try and make every RWBY character have an important role in the events to come and in the end everything works out for the better. So yeah, if you think that when the big showdown occurs that it will be just the main characters getting screen time you are very mistaken, oh no when this fic near its end I want it to be like that final battle in Lord of The Rings, a battle on Epic proportions, hopefully I will still be writing (I hate long hiatus' so I try to** _ **not**_ **do that) and this would have become the number one RWBY/DMC crossover with over a thousand favorites. I can dream can't I? With that I have reached** _ **over**_ **10,000 words on Microsoft word.**

 **Also expect updates to be longer, College is being a real Bitch right now.**


	5. First Contact

**Author's Notes: Now I know you guys are kind of pissed I took so long and maybe some of you were a little disappointed with the last chapter since it didn't have any action but as you read, while it wasn't action centered it served its purpose of developing the plot and expanding the relationship between characters.**

 **Also I would like to justify any future long chapter I will have that was like the last one. It is simple, I have a way where I would like to do a little expose into the mind of the characters when they're in a situation, it's something like commentary.**

 **Personally I think it helps to flesh out the characters and gives you the readers an inkling as to how the they are like because I'm going to tweak some of them a little in this fic.**

 **Anyway here is this chapter and as an apology I guarantee you will love me again!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: First Contact**

Grey-blue eyes stared at ceiling, he didn't even need to look at the clock to know that it was 6 am; his father's training regime has made his internal clock wake him specifically at that time. The thought made him involuntarily grasp his amulet, he stayed like this for a moment before moving.

 _'It's best not to dwell on the pas_ t' he reminded himself as he came out from under the covers.

The first thing he did was look to his roommates, they were both sound asleep, well 'sound asleep' wouldn't be quite accurate to describe them. Dante was snoring loudly while Nero was mumbling in his sleep. Vergil shook his head and a small smile graced his lips.

 _'Time to start the day'_ he thought and what a day it will be.

Throughout all his childhood he'd never thought that he would actually end up enrolling at a school, not with their situation back then. But now here he is at a school, although to be perfectly clear, he was right, after all he is in another dimension. Vergil would admit to himself that he is a little excited, after all it is a school to train young men and women the ways to combat monsters.

As he made his bed Vergil started to imagine just what kind of colorful professors will be teaching the different courses. He used the word 'colorful' because well, that seems to describe almost everyone he's met so far. Everyone seems to have some quirk or motif that they run with and it's odd that it was never brought up but alas he is an outsider after all.

While Vergil was in the shower Nero began tossing and turning in his bed, sweat began to form over his shirtless body staining his sheets. His mumblings gradually became louder and louder until

"GAH!" he sat up ramrod straight. His breaths were labored, he looked around frantically having completely forgotten where he was. The memories began flooding in, starting from how he woke in Remnant and ending with Dante teasing him about his relationship with Ruby Rose.

That thought made him groan, why is it that he keeps saying that he and Ruby should be in some kind of relationship. He doesn't think badly of her and she could at least be his friend but girlfriend?

Hell no!

She may be a good fighter and he's only speculating since she is the youngest girl in Beacon history to enroll but she's still green.

And he's not just talking about her view on the world either, she is immature and has no real world experience. Then again she's only 15, he's 15 too but he's seen and been through way too much to have her mentality on, well, _everything_. When her world does eventually crashes down around her though, he will not be the one to help pick up the pieces, he hasn't even properly mended his own problems.

Plus he didn't want to deal with her sister, Nero wasn't dumb, he noticed that she kept a close eye on his and Ruby's interactions. She was offset by Dante's own stare which he recognized as the "don't worry about it" stare he often uses when he is fighting a particularly powerful demon and wants to reassure that the situation is under control.

This could only mean that she doesn't want him any closer to Ruby than just friends and if she does, then it's to tease her younger sister. Yang seems like a blonde female Dante at first glance but Nero could tell that they are different in certain aspects. That aspect is shown in how they treat their younger siblings/younger sibling figure.

Dante can be teasing but never overbearing or overprotective, he knows Nero could handle himself and would only step in if he needs to, in other words, he knows his place. Yang on the other hand treats Ruby like a mother would her daughter sometimes, guess that speaks about their home life.

 _'Wait a minute'_

If he looks at it from that point of view then Nero would be like the bad boy at school that all the nice girls are attracted to and Yang would be like the mother protecting her daughter from his influence- Nero groaned again, he's getting sidetracked and he knows the reason why his mind is so intent on focusing on something so stupid.

He dragged his hands through his hair and groans in his hands. His musings about Ruby and comparisons with their older sibling figures were a temporary reprieve from the thoughts of what he will be doing today. That is of course, attending classes

 _'shit'_

Nero is not a fan of any kind of authority, he hated being told what to do and for anyone who is not a part of the Sparda family, to attempt at ordering him around will be retaliated upon with _extreme_ prejudice.

 _'Speaking of'_ he turned to the still snoring Dante.

This would be the part where he shoots Dante as part of his civic duty of keeping the peace. Unfortunately he left Blue Rose in his locker (God knows why). So he would (unknowingly) get a free pass just this once.

The door opened and Vergil walked out in a clean pair of boxers and a plain white T-shirt, he turned to Nero.

"Bathroom's all yours" he said.

The boy nodded and went inside leaving Vergil to tend to his younger twin. The older Nephilm sighed, waking Dante can be a pain for the uninitiated but luckily he has learned from his mother how to wake him without having Ebony and Ivory fired upon you two seconds later.

He leaned close "they're serving strawberry sundae and pizza for breakfast" he said calmly before leaning away.

Dante shot up and stared at him "bullshit!" he exclaimed with anticipation

"Indeed" was Vergil's reply before he went about putting on his uniform.

Dante plopped back into bed with a groan, he shoved the pillow on his face "wake me up in two hours, Verg"

Vergil put on his pants "sorry Dante but we have classes to attend" he replied calmly.

"Dammit, can't I just skip 'em or something?" he offered knowing what the answers will be.

"Can't do that Dante, the deal was we'd get free housing, receive full use of the facilities and food for attending classes remember" he answered, putting on the white dress shirt.

"Ugh, why did you agree to do this again?"

"It was either that or we trek through the Grimm infested badlands not knowing where to go with no food, water or even a shower" Vergil replied tying his tie.

"….oh" he plopped back on the bed "it still sucks though" he grumbled.

Vergil looked at him and sighed "at least we've met some interesting people" he added.

Dante sat up with a pensive expression before shrugging "okay I'll give you that one bro" he swung his legs of the bed and stretched.

And Vergil had to pinch the bridge of his nose "Dante"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you naked?"

"…"

"…"

*Looks down*

"…Huh..well what'd you know"

Nero walks out of the bathroom with the first thing he sees is Dante's….manhood.

"What…the fuck Dante?"

"Language" Vergil chides still pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No screw that Vergil!" the boy snapped "Why the fuck are you naked?"

Dante shrugs "I have no idea" he looks on his bed to find his pants tangled under the sheets

"What!?"

He shrugs again "I usually sleep naked in my room anyway"

"We're not in your room you son of a bitch!" he all but yelled.

Dante ignored them and heads into the bathroom with a fresh pair of boxers and shuts the door behind him. Nero and Vergil stared at the door for a moment before shaking there heads slowly

"I think mother spoiled him too much" Vergil commented, pulling on the vest.

Nero nodded, he didn't know much about their childhood but even he knew Eva treated Dante more favorable than Vergil, something about him reminding her of herself when she was younger. To this day, he couldn't imagine the sweet, doting, elegant Eva being _anything_ like Dante past, present or future.

Nero also made a mental note to sleep with Blue Rose from then on, apparently Dante was getting out of hand since he hasn't been shot recently. Shaking the image of a nude Dante out of his mind, Nero made to put on his clothes. First is the pants then the white dress shirt, tie and lastly the vest. Of course Nero wouldn't go out without his accessories, his two rings.

After wearing his cast the young half devil looked himself in the full length mirror before brushing his bangs to the side. Vergil already combed his hair back long ago and was patiently waiting for his brother while reading a book. Nero didn't question that, knowing Dante he'd really try and skip classes.

"I'm heading to the cafeteria" he mumbled.

"Save us a seat" Vergil commented, with eyes on his book. Nero could vaguely make out the words 'Ninja' and 'Love' on the cover but didn't make anything of it. Whatever Vergil reads is his business.

Nero grabbed his headphones and iPod, he played **[Combichrist's Throat Full Of Glass, DmC Soundtrack] 4:46**

 **Song start (instrumental)**

Nero walks out the door and heads down the hallway passing Teams RWBY and JNPR's dorm rooms.

 **[Verse one] "Beyond…"**

Ruby's eye fluttered open, she sits up smacking her lips, as always Blake was already up and dressed, reading a book. She looked down to Weiss sleeping peacefully while her sister across from her was tangled in her sheets, snoring loudly. Ruby shook her head slowly at her sibling before jumping down and making her way through the bathroom door. She made sure to greet Blake on her way before the door shut.

Blake waited a few minutes before marking a page in the book and put it away. She made her way to her partner's bed and whispered something in her ears. Yang jolted awake with a start, she punched Blake in panic but the cat Faunus used her semblance and Yang punched a clone.

" **Like a disease~"**

Yang held her hair protectively while Blake smirked subtly at her overreaction. Yang saw this and glared with burning red eyes at her but the Faunus shrugged it off and point a thumb to the sleeping Weiss. Yang's eyes reverted back to lilac and she sighed looking at Weiss. They spent another few minutes trying to wake the heiress to no avail.

Ruby exits the bathroom and Yang wastes no time rushing past her, slamming the door behind her. Ruby looks at the door before looking at Blake who pointed at Weiss, Ruby sighed before going over the desk drawer. She pulled out a whistle, Ruby turned to Blake and the cat girl smirked a bit before plugging her ears. Ruby leaned in close to Weiss, inhaled and

 **[Chorus] "Can't stay awake!"**

Nero walked across the school grounds but stopped and turned when he heard the sound of the whistle through the music and shook his head

Jaune woke up to the sound of the whistle heard across team RWBY's dorm, just as Pyrrha was about to wake him. He ended up staring into her eyes causing the champion an involuntary blush before walking away flustered. Jaune looked at her with a raised eyebrow before eventually swinging his feet over the bed and stretching.

 **[Verse Two] "Nothing left…"**

Jaune saw that everyone else was already up with Ren nodding off, Nora bouncing on his bed and Pyrrha already dressed. He groggily walked into the bathroom pass Pyrrha, he didn't have his onesie anymore going with boxers instead. Pyrrha went to combing her hair trying to avoid staring at Jaune as he made his way inside the bathroom.

" **I cannot help…"**

Nora smiled coyly before muttering some words to Ren, earning a barely noticeable smirk on his sleepy expression. Pyrrha heard this and her face turned even more scarlet the more Nora continued. Meanwhile Jaune was brushing his teeth but paused to stare incredulously at the door when he heard Pyrrha shriek and Nora laughed.

He eventually emerged from the bathroom but paused, Nora was giggling while staring at him then occasionally at Pyrrha while Ren was messaging his temple. Pyrrha didn't make eye contact with him throughout but he never noticed.

He got dressed but had to get Pyrrha to help him with the tie, Nora made a comment while she was pulling the tie to his neck and she panicked and shoved it all the up choking him by accident. Jaune waved off her profuse apologies and team JNPR exited their dorm

 **[Chorus] "Can't stay awake…"**

Nero finally made it to the cafeteria and was glad to find not many students inside, he made his way towards an empty seat reminding himself of Vergil who said to save them a seat. Nero chose the seat where he first met the teams and sat down at the edge. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the rest of his song in relative peace.

 **[Instrumental]**

Vergil and an irritated Dante came out of the dorm room and headed down the hall but stopped when team JNPR and RWBY's dorms opened almost at the same time. Pyrrha, Yang, Ruby and Jaune and Nora were the first to acknowledge them with a greeting. Ren, Weiss and Blake also greeted them but more demurely.

Dante grinned ear to ear and started trading barbs with an equally grinning Yang. Jaune was trying and failing to chat up Weiss who ignored his presence, Nora was keeping Ren occupied. Ruby looked around and asked Vergil smiling but dropped it when he answered, she brightened up though and led the charge to the cafeteria leaving Vergil and Blake walking side by side.

Vergil and Blake gave side long glances and he nodded in approval and a ghost of a smile could be seen on her face as they talked.

 **[Chorus] "Can't stay awake.."**

Along the way Weiss finally had enough of Jaune and walked ahead next to her partner leaving Pyrrha to comfort him. Dante and Yang could only nod sadly at the blonde knight and Dante whispered something but Yang quickly put a finger over her lip while eyeing Pyrrha sympathetically.

Eventually they arrived at the cafeteria to see Nero sitting by himself with a pair of wireless headphones. They all got their breakfast and sat with JNPR sitting next to NVD and RWBY on the other side making Yang and Dante across from each other and Ruby sitting across from Nero who still had his eyes closed.

Ruby went to nudge him but was stopped by Vergil who shook his head, the last time someone (Dante) disrupted his music time it did not end well. While he didn't physically lash out they both silently agreed that for Ruby's sake she was not ready for the verbal abuse.

 **[Song End]**

Nero opened his eyes the moment the song ended and stared into the face of none other than Ruby Rose who before was eating but upon noticing his gaze smiled at him. Nero didn't react and so her smile turned awkward until she started eating again. Nero raised an eyebrow and slowly shook his head slightly at this girl's level of social ineptitude.

After eating a cookie to collect herself Ruby started talking "G-good morning Nero" she mentally kicked herself for stuttering. Why was she so nervous when they'd spent hours playing World of Remnant last night!?

"Morning" he grumbled with a troubled expression that seemed to saddened Ruby even more.

Yang saw this and interjected "yeesh, what's gotten into you so early in the morning" there was a harshness in her tone as she scowled at him.

Nero returned the scowled as he spoke "I woke up from a nightmare this morning to seeing Dante prancing around the room **naked**!" was his sharp reply.

There was a pause as everyone looked to the troubled half demon wide eyed except for Vergil who face palmed and Dante who rolled his eyes

"So I'm used to sleeping naked" he drawled "sue me" he glared at Nero.

Nero returned his glare as everyone looked in shocked silence at the half Nephilm' shameless admittance.

Nero turned to Yang "you try image waking up and the first thing you see is this guy's di-"

"Nero!" Vergil said sharply as the girls blushed a bright red.

Weiss was flabbergasted sputtering incessantly with no clear words, Nora and Pyrrha took sideway glances at their partners, Blake shoved her head even deeper into her book. Jaune and Ren as men who are straight were trying to banish thoughts of a naked Dante with grimaces.

Yang was effectively rendered speechless only getting in a "I, uh, wh…." Eventually she remained silent when she saw that Ruby was just as red as her cloak

Nero took this as an opportunity to continue "so _sorry_ if I'm in a bad mood but seeing that _thing_ could do that to most normal people" he concluded.

Dante scoffed "oh please, you _wish_ you have what I'm packing" he said with confident smirk causing even Yang to glow bright red, yes she was a tease but there is no way was she as blunt as Dante.

Nero deadpanned before replying in a nonchalant manner "no, I don't really care for the _little_ things in life Dante"

This caused said boy's smirk to drop as Nero's sharp rebuttal elicited several snickers around the table from Yang, Jaune, Nora and even Weiss (who thought of it as payback). Pyrrha and Ruby were still bright red while Ren, Blake and Vergil kept fighting down the urge to smile.

Dante went to retort but was cut off as Nero stand "I'm not gonna argue Dante see I found out this morning that although I'm younger I'm _twice_ the man you are"

The elicited a round "ooooo's" from Nora and Yang.

"Shots fired" Jaune said with his hand covering his grinning mouth causing everyone even Pyrrha and Blake to join in the snicker fest.

"So" Nero continued "I'm going to be the _bigger_ man and walk away" he said doing just that.

"Now that's a burn" Vergil commented idly with a smile.

And that was when the damn broke Yang, Nora and Jaune broke down laughing while holding their stomachs. Blake, Weiss Pyrrha and Ren were chuckling softly while Vergil gave a glowering Dante a sympathetic pat on the back. The only one not fully understanding the joke was Ruby and that was because of her lack of understanding to innuendos.

Due to that lack of understanding she ended up chuckling awkwardly before drinking her milk, hoping that her father wasn't lying so she could get big fast. She glanced at Nero, actually a little jealous that despite them being the same age he could practically pass off as someone older. Now she was thinking of the first part of the sentence he said before he made fun of Dante.

' _He woke up from a nightmare?'_ she asked herself.

A new wave of concern came over her, she would have Nero as a friend or die trying! Well maybe not _die_ but if there was one word you can use to describe Ruby Rose, it was persistent. Obviously, them playing a board game of which she managed to convince him to play didn't work. That's fine, if she could get Weiss Schnee to come around then she could get Nero to as well.

Ruby turned to her food but then noticed a few stares going her way with Dante and Yang giving her coy looks while Nora was practically gushing. Feeling under pressure she managed to stutter out a "what?"

Yang and Dante gave each other a look before turning to her "oh nothing" was Yang' sweet reply.

The teams made it to their class before their professor and almost immediately did the boys garner almost everyone's attention. They were new faces but with other student coming to Beacon for the Vytal Festival they'd had to consolidate almost all the first years to have classes at the same time according to school. So as of now only Beacon students are in the room, in fact the only classes where Beacon students are merged with students from another school is combat classes.

Another reason for this would be how these new faces were being friendly with teams RWBY and JNPR who are the best teams out of the entire first years. Yang, Nora and Jaune were listening to the tall one with a red necklace. Pyrrha and Weiss were conversing with the platinum blonde who looked identical with a blue necklace while Ruby was attempting at making small talk with the boy who looked her age and evidently failing.

Everyone was honestly surprised because RWBY and JNPR were designated as the 'popular group.' Whether the teams in question were aware of this label is up for debate but that was the unanimous decision by the student body ever since initiation. Of course them defeating two powerful Grimm like that in their first year is a feat in and of itself but what got their peers approval was their character.

Yang Xiao Long the girl which every guy drools over but isn't man enough to approach, impressive combat abilities even beating some of the second years and need I mention her assets. There is Blake Belladonna the mysterious book loving beauty and 'ninja' of the group. Weiss Schnee heiress of a multibillion Lien corporation, talented singer, beautiful and deadly. Then there is Ruby Rose the first girl in Beacon history to move up two years, is leader of the best first year team in Beacon and, by a secret poll run by individuals of questionable aims, the 'cutest' first year girl in Beacon.

For team JNPR they have Pyrrha Nikos first and foremost, a minor celebrity with fans numbering in the thousands who has won the Mistral regional tournament 4 years in a row, _the_ best fighter in first year and one of the best in Beacon period. Lie Ren the CQC specialist of the team who is almost always with his childhood friend Nora Valkyrie. Aside from being the most hyperactive in Beacon with a pension for explosives and breaking legs, she is the only one who could contest with Yang for the most destructive female and that's when she isn't angry.

Then there's the leader Jaune Arc, who everyone agrees is the reason why team JNPR isn't as good as RWBY. He was already dismissed as the worst fighter in Beacon ever, of all time and aside from Pyrrha being his partner they wouldn't even notice his presence. That changed when he stood up to Cardin Winchester during the Forever Fall trip. Rumor has it he saved Cardin from an Ursa Major and killed it and now the bully owes him his life.

The rumors died down during Jaune's poor performance in combat class after a few days and people wondered why he was even there, he didn't have any merit. Imagine their surprise when Glynda Goodwitch actually praised him before the end of last semester. Almost everyone never look past Jaune's combat skills and failed attempts at wooing Weiss Schnee to notice that he had a high GPA, high enough to be on the top ten at the end of the semester when he actually settled into his life at Beacon. It was a hard pill to swallow that he of all people was the most competent leader in all of the first years.

Anyway between Yang's temper, Nora's randomness, Weiss' attitude and Pyrrha's 'overwhelming' presence, no one dared to even try and approach them. The last team to do that was CRDL who started as bullies but are now practically neutered. Now here are three strangers speaking to them like they've known each other for _years_ and this was just another day.

Nero had been trying to ignore Ruby for a few minutes now, he made sure to sit away from them in an empty corner of the cafeteria but she found her way to him after a few minutes. For some reason she was determined to talk to him, he reached for his headphones but they weren't there. Turns out Dante stole them when he was making fun of him, it was probably him who gave Ruby the idea to 'keep trying.'

While Nero wouldn't mind her presence, she needs to learn that her talking a lot about any and everything isn't gong make him suddenly want to be sociable. Since he can't tell her off without earning her sister's ire *rolls eyes* or Vergil's disappointment, that was out of the question. He definitely _wasn't_ sitting in their immediate vicinity. His eyes roamed the class even as everyone seated gave him a questioning look.

"Uh, Nero?" he heard a meek voice call out.

He forced a scowl from marring his face and looked at Ruby who smiled weakly at him before pointing at empty seat beside her and Dante who was beside Vergil. Nero's eyes roamed the room of seats again, looking for a way out of this. His eyes settled on team CRDL and noticed that everyone seemed to avoid them. They sat at the back and there were some seats empty around them.

"Would you just sit down already" Dante cut him from his musings. Nero glared at the impatient Nephilm before dashing towards him.

"The hell?" Dante managed to say before Nero jumped on his desk swipe his headphones from him and leapt from desk to desk until he skillfully dropped down next to Sky Lark.

"Whoa!" The boy managed to shout.

Sky scowled "hey, what the hell do yo-?"

Nero gave him an almost _demonic_ death glare and the boy clammed up immediately.

"Hey you mind doing me a favor?" Nero asked.

"What?" Sky remarked, clearly intimidated.

He pulled on his headphones "wake me up five minutes before class is done"

Sky looked to his teammates, Cardin wasn't paying attention, Dove shrugged and Russel just gave a questioning look.

"O-kay?" he said unsure of what exactly is going on.

Nero scowled "I'm serious, if the first thing I see is a girl in a red hood **I. Will. Hurt. You.** "

"Alright, alright I swear!" he said with his hands up

Nero ignored him and everyone else when he put on his headphones choosing instead to let the music's calm overtake him. He would do this throughout the entirety of the class with his head on the desk.

Dante looked from Nero and the four individuals then to the disheartened Ruby questioningly. He noticed that the room was shrouded in whispers and turned to the closest person which happened to be Yang. The blonde glared at Nero and Dante had to admit that even he was getting ticked off with his younger sibling figure's actions

' _She just wants to be friends for Christ's sake!'_

Vergil could only sigh in disappointment, he would've voiced his displeasure hadn't a blur come into the class. Vergil and Dante's heads snapped to the front to see a man with messy green hair in a disheveled ensemble of a white dress shirt, brown pants wearing glasses which glare so you couldn't see his face. The man eyed the twins before sipping his cup of coffee.

"Ah!" he exclaimed getting everyone's attention "you must be the new students the headmaster informed of. My name is doctor Oobleck and I will be your history professor for the duration of your first year at Beacon Academy" they blinked and suddenly he was right at their desk, both boys almost flinched "he also stated that there were supposed to be three of you" he leaned in closer to Dante "where is your third teammate!?"

Dante looked up to where Nero was sleeping and the doctor followed him to glance at an unfamiliar mop of white hair laying down on the desk on a cast. In the blink of an eye he was by Nero's side but the boy didn't so much as move so Sky nudged him awake.

Nero's head rose and he looked around until he came face to face with some…. homeless guy with a coffee mug.

Nero took off his headphones "what the.."

"Young man I will not tolerate indolence in my classroom! Please refrain from wearing headphones and pay close attention to the lecture!" he sipped his drink and suddenly he was in front of the class again "Now, will the new students introduce themselves so we may begin!?"

The boys did just that although Nero added that he didn't have a last name. With that settled Oobleck went on to teach his class and while Nero and Dante didn't do a single thing they were impressed by Oobleck's speed. Nero actually tried to keep up with him before he deemed it impossible and went back to sleep, headphones and all.

Dante pretended to take notes while occasionally stealing glances at team RWBY who were conspiring silently. Vergil had to use his heightened senses to take down almost everything relevant spoken. Before they knew it, the time was up and just as Oobleck arrived he blurred out of the room.

"What does that guy put in his coffee?" queried Dante.

All he got was a shrug from Yang "beats me"

As the day progressed it became abundantly clear that Nero was intentionally avoiding her and although Ruby was a little depressed at her progress with him as her friend she tried not to let it get her down. She couldn't, her team needed her to be in tip top shape for what they were going to do tonight. Sun and Neptune joined the teams for lunch since their teams weren't there yet and according to Sun, they were the 'coolest' people they know.

Dante and Vergil noticed team RWBY's subtle odd behavior, Ruby especially looked anxious. They recognized those behavioral patterns as people who were mentally preparing themselves for a battle. Only persons who are good at observation or have fought so many times that they could tell the signs would know what they were up to.

So it wasn't surprising for Vergil to observe how Pyrrha and Ren suspected them but didn't do or say anything about it. Dante looked glanced at Sun then flashed his eyes to team RWBY and back. Sun did the same and nodded slightly before grinning and Dante returned the gesture, with the telepathic communication only Bros are capable of they relayed the information and went about their business with grins.

' _I can't wait for tonight'_ he exclaimed mentally but paused when he saw Nero walk into the classroom before them.

A thought occurred to the Nephilm before a devious smirk worked its way to his features.

The last class for the day was Grimm studies with Professor Port and Vergil found that he was one of the few persons in class actually _trying_ to take notes or is still awake. Yes trying because even Vergil has to admit that the professor actually managed to beat Dante in putting bravado in story telling.

' _Speaking of bravado'_ Vergil turned to his next subject of interest.

Vergil watched in amusement as Jaune (for the hmphteenth time) tries and fails to get Weiss' attention. The heiress in the meantime tuned out Jaune's attempt at flirting by staring at the holographic clock with a blank expression.

It wasn't Jaune's flirting which grabbed his attention (though he'd give him points for persistence) it concerned the time he saw his Aura on the roof. Aura has always been an intriguing topic for Vergil, he'd make a note to study up on it but it was always put down for Grimm related reading.

He's never explicitly _seen_ Aura before until the roof but he can say that it is the human equivalent to demonic and angelic energies. Now that could spark a debate of sorts, demons and angels have that specific energy because of their environment. Since humans have their own energy here then could Remnant be the original birthplace of humanity?

Add that to the growing list of mysteries that _he will_ eventually solve. Now back to topic-

*RIIIIIIIIIING*

And that was the bell, Weiss got up without a word leaving a depressed Jaune who promptly banged his head on the desk as team RWBY passed behind him. He only received a sympathetic pat on the head from Yang

"Maybe next time" she mumbled.

Dante immediately bolted out the door, leaving a confused Vergil who could only dread what his brother had planned. Glancing back he saw that Nero was nowhere to be found and it looks like Blake has something to do while Ren was preoccupied by Nora since Dante wasn't there to distract her. Pyrrha was trying to console Jaune who was still hung up over Weiss and Vergil only though one thing

' _It's sad'_

It was as clear as day to him that the redhead harbored _some_ feelings towards the blonde. It was ironic really, Jaune and Pyrrha on a physical aspect reminded him of his parents. Pyrrha especially is almost a splitting image of Eva Sparda: beautiful, strong, brilliant, humble and in total control of herself. She looked the type able to handle any situation except for matters of the heart apparently.

The Nephilm stood and strode over to the blonde just now standing "hello Jaune, Pyrrha"

"Hello" Pyrrha greeted politely

"Hey Verg, what's up?" Jaune said getting an eyebrow raise from him for the nickname

"Uh, sorry" he began to scratch the back of his head "it's just that I heard your brother and Nero calling you that and you know, I thought you wouldn't mind since we're friends and all."

"I don't mind, it's just weird hearing someone else call me that"

"Oh" Jaune said in relief "so what can I do you for?"

"You're part of a famous family right?"

"Yeah" he answered

Vergil smiled "do you mind if ask you a few questions?"

* * *

"Right, so everyone remember there roles" Ruby questioned looking at each of her teammates.

Weiss started "you and I will head down to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies. Seeing as I'm a family member it shouldn't be a problem."

Blake continued "the White Fang has regular faction meetings to scout and recruit new members. If I can get in I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

Yang finished "I have an old friend on the shady side of town that seems to know everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard"

"Great, we'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found. Let's do this!" Ruby pumped her fist.

"Yeah" they heard a voice spoke eerily close

All four of them jumped back "Sun!?" Yang said in mild shock "how'd you get up there?"

"That's easy, I do this all the time" he answered nonchalantly while hanging upside down from their open window.

"You what!?" Weiss retort

"I climb trees all the time" he clarified but the heiress still narrowed her eyes in suspicion

Sun flipped through the window and continued "so, are we finally going to get that Torchwick guy?"

Blake stepped up " _We_ are going to investigate the situation. As a _team_ " to accentuate this she spread her arms to her teammates.

Ruby gave him an apologetic look "sorry Sun but we don't wanna get friends involved if we don't have to" she explained

The monkey Faunus scoffed playfully "that's dumb. You should always get friends involved. That's why I brought Neptune and Dante" he hiked a thumb behind him.

The girls all looked outside to see Neptune beside their open window "what's up?" the bluenette smiled.

"How did you even get up here?" Ruby questioned

"I have my ways" he said with a knowing smile which turned to nervousness as he looked down at the small ledge he was standing on "seriously though can I come in, we're like really high up right now."

After pulling him inside ruby looked out then turned back to the new additions "wait where's Dante?"

Sun looked to Neptune who shrugged "don't know, said he had to go get something to 'make it a real party' he said"

Ruby looked incredulous "what does that mea-"

 ***Shink***

Ruby stepped away from the window when she heard the noise right before Dante pulled himself through the window with a flip and landed in a crouch, Ophion retracted like a snake. He wore the same attire as when he did initiation yesterday.

"Sorry I'm late boys, girls and Ice Queen"

"Hey!"

He held up an oddly familiar custom revolver "you would not believe how hard it was to get-" his words hitched in his mouth when he properly looked at what the girls were wearing "whoa" he mumbled.

Sun was so caught up in the thrill of going on an adventure but now that he actually seen them he couldn't help but say "whoa" especially looking at Blake.

Neptune at least had the decency not to leer at Weiss so blatantly but he couldn't help but nod in approval at her new attire.

Dante looked over all the girls until he stuck at a smirking Yang who did a small pose that brought a whole new meaning to sex appeal.

Dante had only one word to say to _that_ "damn"

"I know right" Sun spoke not taking his eyes off of Blake.

The girls began to feel a little self conscious about being stared at by some men with the exception of Yang and Ruby, the former preen under the attention and the latter not being stared at.

Finally Weiss broke the silence "how did you even get up here!" she shouted indignantly, the light dusting of her cheeks fading.

"Hmm?" he turned away from Yang to the scowling Schnee "oh" he brought up Ophion's angelic form "angelic grappling hook."

Being the closest Ruby watched in star struck wonder, it looked like the head of an animal and was it just her imagination or did it look like it was enveloped in some other-worldly glow. Ruby couldn't help but reach out to absentmindedly touch it

 ***Chomp* *Chomp***

The reaper immediately retracted her hand with a small yelp that Dante couldn't help but chuckle at before it shape shift back to Rebellion and he strapped it to his back

Ruby gasped "your sword can shape shift!?" she all but squealed.

"Yes, yes it can" he replied with a smug smirk.

Before Ruby can continue "we should stay focus" Blake urged. While his weapon's features were interesting she was really getting annoyed with the constant interruptions.

"Right Dante agreed. Can you hold this Rubes?" he gave the weapon to the small girl who eagerly took it.

She looked over the ornate looking weapon before realization dawned on her when she saw the blue rose design.

Wait. Blue Rose?

Her silver eyes widened as she looked to a smiling Dante "this is Nero's weapon!" she exclaimed with confusion.

"Yep" he replied.

Just then a knock was heard at the door and Dante turned to Ruby "you might want to back away while I deal with him"

Weiss hesitantly opened the door to see a scowling Nero "is that _moron_ in there?"

"Took you long enough to get here" Dante said with his arms crossed.

Nero shoved passed Weiss, ignored her and reached for Red queen's handle as he stalked towards the dead Nephilm.

"Let's not jump the gun here Nero"

"Where's Blue Rose?" he growled.

Dante pointed to Ruby holding his weapon and suddenly his scowl softened. Then it vanished as his eyes wandered over the form of the now self conscious girl.

"Uh" Nero was at a loss for words but he rebounded when he heard Dante snicker.

He looked around the room to see all of team RWBY in different attires, Sun, Neptune and Dante were present as well.

"The heck is going on here?"

After roughly explaining to them what they missed last semester at the docks the two boys glanced at each other then everyone else and uncharacteristic smirk adorned Nero's face mirroring Dante's

"We're in" they said simultaneously.

"No you're not" Blake said adamantly. It was bad enough she got her team involved but not them, regardless of skills, she wants to keep the circle as small as possible.

"aw, c'mon Blakey what's the worst that could happen" she pulled her closer to whisper "besides now we'll have more people to help us investigate."

"Plus, we haven't left the school since we got here" Dante added.

"Then allow us to be your tour guides" Yang chirped then looked to her leader "what do we do now Rubes?"

Ruby who was still admiring Blue Rose's cylinder modifications looked to everyone else confusedly "huh?"

Blake sighed and face palmed "might as well bring them along" only because she was positive they would follow them into the city anyway.

"Uh right, here you go Nero" she handed him Blue Rose almost hesitantly. What? she likes cool weapons and Blue Rose makes up for its simplicity with heavy modifications.

"So~" Sun began getting a little closer to Blake "I'm thinking we can go in pairs." Blake fought the urge to role her eyes at his obvious attempt at getting close to her.

They stood before Ruby in a semi-circle as she addressed them "So Sun and Blake will investigate the White Fang, Neptune can follow Yang to visit her friend and Dante and Nero can follow me and Blake to CCT." She said pushing Neptune next to Yang missing the expression on Weiss' face while Nero and Dante looked to each other.

Weiss objected "actually Ruby how about we let Dante go with Yang and Neptune come with us?"

"I kinda agree with princess there Rubes" Yang commented stopping a teetering Neptune who in her eyes looks like a total killjoy despite his attempts at looking cool. At least Dante would make the trip interesting.

"But why?" Ruby asked completely oblivious to Heiress' interest in the blue haired boy.

"Dante can be really annoying when he doesn't have a fight" Nero commented gaining everyone's attention "I can guarantee either me or the Ice Queen will attempt to kill him" he said bluntly.

"Hey I'm not _that_ bad" Dante defended though he was ignored as he came closer to Ruby.

"Unless you want a guy who makes innuendos, teases you and makes bad puns"

"Hey!"

"-then you'll listen to the Ice Queen" he said seriously.

Ruby looked at him then Dante and suddenly the events of last night, which she pushed to the back of her mind to psych herself up for the investigation, came to mind and she shuddered.

"Alright Neptune will come with us and Dante will go with Yang" she commanded before dragging the heiress outside.

"Ruby let go of me I can walk by myself" they heard.

Neptune and Nero shared a look before shrugging and followed after.

Sun looked to Blake "so I guess we shou-" Blake walked off "hey wait up." He said catching up to her.

' _Good luck with her Sun'_ Dante commented mentally.

"So, where are we going anyway?" he asked as they walked out the room.

"I know a guy who owns a club. _I'm_ going to get some information out of him"

Dante stroked his chin "a club huh, is it any good?"

Yang shrugged "meh, they don't sell my favorite drink but it's not the worst club I've been to."

They continued to walk until Dante realized they weren't heading to the airships "where're you going?"

"For Bumblebee" she answered leading him to the school's parking garage.

' _Bumblebee'_

Yang went over and took the tarp off to show her custom bike in all its glory. Dante did a long whistle of approval

"Nice" he simple said.

Yang had on her own helmet "hop on devil-boy" she ordered and he complied "and hang on tight" she revved the engine twice before popping a wheelie and sped off burning rubber.

* * *

The quartet heading to the CCT can say that they are the most content right now. Ruby can finally say that she was making progress in befriending Nero and to top it off it was through the time honored bonding ritual of

Talking about weapons n' stuff.

Oh yes, Ruby will forever remember the look on Nero's face when she unfolded crescent Rose right before his eyes. So now they were exchanging pointers and both were impressed with the other's knowledge of the inner workings of all manner of weaponry.

Neptune was flirting with Weiss, who didn't mind one bit. In fact ever so often she would giggle making the other duo pause and look at her incredulously, not that she ever even noticed since she was busy checking the bluenette out.

Nero and Ruby gave Weiss a blank stare as she mindlessly went to the CCT with Neptune. Ruby shook her head, Weiss giggled, GIGGLED. She doesn't so much as smile whenever Ruby makes a joke which (she thinks) is funny yet that guy talks to her and she's all smiles.

Speaking of guys.

Ruby turns to find Nero looking over the impressive buildings and suddenly she remembers where they were. A broad smile adorns her face

"So~" Ruby begins, getting his attention "what do you think, pretty cool huh?" she said a little smugly, even Ruby thinks the tower is amazing.

"I've seen better" he popped her bubble immediately.

"What" she whined "how can you _not_ think that" she pointed to the huge tower "is anything but amazing?"

He looked at the tower and for a moment it was replaced by one of the many castle like buildings of Fortuna.

Nero looked at her "like I've said before, I've seen better."

Then Ruby did something you would never expect from a person training to fight hordes of monsters.

Ruby pouted.

"Are you, _pouting_?" he said in shock but it mostly came from the fact that she looked like a puppy right now.

It was so ridiculously adorable that he actually laughed, not the 'making fun of people' laugh but the 'I just heard a joke' laugh which surprised Ruby. This was the first time he'd ever laughed, she liked the sound but it would be a lot better if he wasn't laughing at _her_.

Going red with embarrassment she stomped her foot and in a childish fit exclaimed "stop laughing at me!"

Nero paused, stared at her and laughed even harder, drawing a few stares and causing the scythe wielder even more discomfort.

"I, I-I'm sorry, ha, ha, ha, haa~" he patted Ruby's head oddly tenderly.

Suddenly his senses picked up an anomaly and withdrew his hand with a serious expression while looking around, missing the disappointed look on her face. His eyes landed on an orange haired girl with a pink bow, his eyes narrowed. Ever since his arm became…demonic, he's been able to feel a sort of energy cloaking the air and everyone around it.

He guessed it was Aura, although now that he was outside he could feel that most civilians didn't have it. That girl however, while she has it something about it doesn't feel right. It felt for lack of a better term, fake.

Ruby followed his gaze and her eyes lit up "Penny!" she shouted and said girl turned to look at her.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, she's my friend" she said but Nero saw the look on the girls face before she walked away.

"Hate to break it to yah, but your friend's walking away" he pointed out.

"Wait!" she ran after her.

Nero could only sigh as he went after her, he wasn't too keen on spending the day aimlessly wandering the city if he lost her. That and he didn't trust that girl regardless of what Ruby thinks.

He made it down the stairs just in time to hear the girl say "there seems to be a misunderstanding" she said walking down some steps.

"What, Penny" she slid down the rails "are you okay?" she questioned even as the girl walked away. "Penny please stop!" she stepped before her.

"Look I don't know what's wrong but you have to listen to me. Those guys we fought at the docks, we think they're up to something. Something big, something bad! I need you to tell me what happened that night. Please, as a friend."

Penny sighed (or rather blew through her mouth) before glancing at the silent Nero "I'm sorry I don't believe we've met before"

"Oh right, silly me" Ruby said having almost forgotten him "Penny this is Nero, Nero this is my friend Penny."

Penny gave him one of her enthusiastic smiles "it's a pleasure to meet you Nero" she extended her left arm mechanically.

The boy looked at it then her before roughly grasping it but despite that her expression never changed. Oddly enough he was applying enough pressure for a normal human to at least wince, Aura or not. He had a knack for reading people and her expression was too genuine for her to be faking it. That could only mean….

' _No way'_ he thought as he let go and brought a hand to Blue Rose "you're not human"

Penny's eyes widened "I-I don't know what you're talking about o-of course I'm human *Hiccup*" she covered her mouth.

"Bullshit" Penny found herself staring down the double barrel of a revolver.

"Nero!" Ruby shrieked holding gun down while looking around and sighed in relief when everyone around them didn't notice.

"What is your problem!?" Ruby exclaimed in a rare fit of anger but how would you feel when someone accuses your friend of not being human and pulling a gun on them, in public.

Nero's eyes snapped to her and she recoiled only to return the glare "my _problem_ is that she's definitely not human or Faunus" he leaned in to whisper "she could be a demon for all you know."

This gave Ruby pause, when she met Penny she did act weird but she helped her friends and saved her life. She looked at him with a steely resolve

"How do you know?"

"I can sense it"

"And you think she's a demon?" she asked in disbelief.

"No I said I don't know _what_ she is. That's why I'm getting some answers"

"By pulling a gun on her!?" she snapped

"You have a better idea!?" he shot back.

They both glared at each other though Nero's was heavier and Ruby felt herself wither under it despite the tough act she wore but didn't falter her gaze.

"He's right Ruby" Penny spoke getting their attention.

"Penny?"

Penny's expression was somber as she looked around "this isn't the place to discuss this" she whispered and motioned them to follow her to which Nero holstered Blue Rose.

* * *

Neptune didn't know what to do in this situation; yeah sure he could flirt and make small talk with a girl but comforting her, nope. He never had to do that with a girl before, usually when that phase came in his very short relationships he'd already be gone or moved on to wooing another girl with his charms.

And that's what Weiss was, another girl he thought. The first time he met her he thought she was cute but that was just it, he didn't really respect her all too well. The fact that she was a Schnee made it even worse, not that he had a problem with her for being a Schnee but past experiences with them left a bitter taste in his mouth.

So there he was playing the 'game' with her, to be honest with the way how he saw her treating Jaune, she gave the impression of what a shallow, elitist, heiress of a multi billion dollar corporation was like. Granted Arc wasn't that smooth but the least you could do was let him off easy, at least that's what he did to persistent women.

He stood in silence as he watched her talked to the SDC operator on the other line. He wasn't stupid, he saw how she strained to keep up the façade of someone happy, reminded him when he had bad dates. When the operator mentioned her father though, that's when he saw her visibly cringe at his name.

Now it could be that because he's hung out with Sun so many times and get's wrapped up in his frankly stupid schemes which go south that people think he's just some pretty boy. He would beg to differ, he's an **intellectual** , who managed to rank top five in every single test back in Haven. He's a thinker and he'd like to think he read people pretty well. At first he couldn't believe it when he saw her but now she just confirmed it.

Weiss isn't everything she seems and it's not just trouble in paradise sort of thing but there is definitely some tension where her father is concerned. How else would her mood not improve much despite him trying and failing to talk to her? He was sure he was doing it right and she was eating out of the palm of his hands earlier.

With a sigh he steeled himself for what he was about to say. He'd been thinking about it for a while now but it had to be done. He was about to break the number one rule of the 'game.'

Don't get emotionally invested.

"Weiss" he said softly earning her attention "you want to talk about what happened back there?"

Weiss straightened her posture as she replied "I have no idea what you mean Neptune" her voice reflected pride.

He raised an eyebrow "really, 'cause like, I saw your face when the operator mentioned your dad."

Weiss looked shocked and Neptune fought the urge to face palm instead he chuckled a little, masking his mild annoyance with faux amusement "what didn't think I saw? No offense Weiss but you've been down in the dumps ever since the call" he admitted truthfully.

She didn't respond only looking forward with a pensive expression before replying "it is none of your concern Neptune" her voice was laced with a stubborn finality.

"That's true" he conceded but now his interest was peaked and he conveniently found a coffee shop "but" he stepped in front of her.

Weiss went to retort but then he flashed her sickeningly charming smile of his "take it from me it's better to let it out than bottle it up inside" cheesy and cliché yes but sometimes the classics work and Neptune is the dude to make anything work when it comes to the ladies. The thoughtful expression on her face was proof of it.

' _Time for the coup de grace'_ he thought "I may not know the whole deal with your folks" he began and swallowed lightly but didn't lose rhythm "but I can empathize with having trouble with parents" at that his smile faltered and he adopted a far off look as images flashed before his eyes.

Weiss exhaled and looked sternly at the boy's smiling face, he knew exactly what he was doing to her and she was aware he was aware. What can a girl do? The heart wants what it wants. Weiss' expression hardened and she gave him what everyone in Beacon calls the 'ice glare.' She watched as he shuddered under her gaze.

"Like I've said before Neptune, there is nothing to talk about" her eyes narrowed "are we clear?"

He nodded, his smile gone "yes ma'am"

"Good" he may be cute but that doesn't mean that she'll throw herself at him, she isn't that easy. He'll have to work hard to earn the privy of that secret.

She took out her scroll "I need to go over this information" she muttered.

"Would it pleases the lady if she were to accompany me to ye olde coffee shoppe?"

Weiss looked at Neptune who was smiling at her while hiking a thumb over to said shop.

"So wouldst the fair lady do me the honor of accompanying this gentleman?" he said with an accent.

Weiss couldn't help but giggle cutely but straightened up once again "yes, quite" she said leading in stride.

Neptune couldn't help but admire her walk and despite getting the cold glare he could honestly say that he respected her a little more. He sighed as he watched the sun set between two buildings.

* * *

It took a lot longer to get to the city because they took the road route but neither of them were complaining. Yang pulled bumblebee next to a building in what he could guess was the shady side of vale.

"Come on my friend's in here"

They both got off the bike and Dante took a look at the big neon sign showing the name of the club

"The Three Bears?" he mumbled whilst glancing at Yang's retreating figure

What guy in their right mind would name a club _that_ he's heard of some really weird club names but The Three bears that's just…

' _Wait a minute'_

He looked from the name to Yang then back again. A smile slowly formed, followed by chuckling which turned in full blown laughter.

While the generic thugs all ran away from her Yang turned to look at the laughing Nephilm with a raised eyebrow "what's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing" he waved her off while approaching her but developed an amused smile " _Goldie Locks"_

The way how he said it she could tell he made a joke but she didn't get the reference, if anything it was like a cute nickname. She had long locks of golden hair so Goldie locks is actually a fitting name for her.

"Uh, huh" she nodded slowly as they approached the closed door "stand back" she raised her fist.

To his surprise her bracelet expanded into a gauntlet and was it his imagination or was there shotgun shells laced around it. Oblivious to his pondering she reared her fist back with the distinct sound of a gun cocked back and punched the door open in a small explosion of fire.

' _Nope, wasn't my imagination'_ he thought with a smirk as he watched her saunter through the smoke inside _'a shotgun gauntlet'_

Fucking brilliant!

"Guess who's back?" she greeted and was immediately surrounded by guns on all sides.

Dante chuckled at their reaction and Yang's lack of even as the music began skipping but a glare from the blonde was all it took for some guy in a bear costume to take the needle off it. That was when he was outside but when he stepped in his smile dropped as he looked around impassively.

"So Yang" he spoke getting beside her " _how_ do you know these guys?" Dante completely ignored the way how they pointed the guns at him.

"Stop, stop, nobody shoot" he was cu t off as a tall bearded man walked to the front fixing his tie. Date narrowed his eyes at him as he talked "blondie you're here, _why_?"

Then the realization sunk in as Yang pointed at him with a smirk "you still owe me a drink" she said and walked off but a hand on her wrist stopped her.

Yang looked over her shoulder to see Dante looking directly at Junior while smirking "what's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing" he said approaching the man while taking side glances at the goon squad.

Junior narrowed his eyes at him, there was something about this kid that didn't sit right with him and it wasn't the same vibe he got from blondie, no it's something else, something instinctual. From the very depths of his being the club owner could tell he was trouble with a capital everything.

Junior looked to Yang "who's the emo kid?"

*Record scratch*

"Emo? Emo!" Dante yelled incredulously

"You don't have to worry about hi-" she tried to say but was interrupted

"No, no Yang he has _plenty_ to worry about **now** " Dante got up in his face "do I look fucking emo to you asshole?" he snarled.

Junior would admit, this kid's got even more bite than blondie but still "I calls em how I sees em" he still looked like a two bit punk.

"Heh, heh, heh" Dante did a low chuckle "oh I am going to _enjoy_ this" he said and suddenly the tension rose as Junior backed up a bit and the goons began raising their guns. The twins even got ready because this looked like the makings of a brawl.

"Enjoy what?" Junior asked hesitantly, he really didn't want to fight blondie again and this punk looked like he would cause just as much collateral damage and with blondie then his club would be completely destroyed.

"Yeah Dante" Yang chimed in "enjoy _what_?" hey she was all for a fight but even yang found the counter productiveness of beating up a guy who could have valuable information for their investigation.

"You'll see" he said cryptically before smiling at Junior "oh by the way, my name" he looked across the room "is **Dante** " his voice was slightly distorted at the end.

Yang and the twins suddenly felt a chill run up their spine, for Yang that would be the second time she had that feeling. Junior's eyes widened and the men stepped back in disbelief

"Y-yo-you're" the man stuttered but was cut off as Dante continued

"But you can call me Dante the Demon Killer" he finished with a smirk.

Junior's expression turned from surprise to anger and to the girl's shock his eyes started bleeding black ink as he pointed at Dante and let out a low hiss.

Faster than the eye could see Dante whipped out Ebony "ding, ding"

Aimed it at Junior "looks like we have a winner" he announced and pulled the trigger.

*BANG*

* * *

 **Author's Notes: What a twist! Told you, you'd love me again. Anyway hope you enjoyed that bit and for those of you who had a problem with me steering the story away from the three main protagonists to show the viewpoints of supporting characters, well get over it. Honestly I would like to write from the view of every character at least once, I think it keeps he experience fresh, besides I plan to give them some back story since they will all play a part in the hopefully) epic conclusion.**

 **So yeah, Neptune a playboy jerk but is dependable and a good guy with his own insecurities that he hides behind a cool guy act. Just to be clear I support all implied ship the series has just so you know.**

 **On that note at least** _ **one**_ **of you have commented on what I did with Vergil and Cinder but I know most of you saw what I did there. For those of you wondering the answer is yes, I was thinking of pairing them. However I've not accounted for another variable (ie. Single female) with the start of RWBY vol. 3 and I'm second guessing myself.**

 **Of course I'm talking about Winter Schnee. I'll start a poll with this one as I can see a relationship with Vergil and either of them for different reasons. Don't be afraid to show your support for Winter or Cinder because I can see Vergil going for the sexy, older mature woman. Hell if you think I should say fuck it and have both of them paired with him go for it. Harem for life!**

 **Now for the topic you would all like to know about, updates. Not going to lie I want to release the next chapter on Christmas and then a next one on New Year.**

 **Show your support by writing a review, favorite and follow I'm trying to make this the most Favorited DMC/RWBY crossover so help a brother out.**


	6. Painting The Town

**Author's Notes: Happy Holidays and glad to know people still love this story, now if I can hit the 100 mark in favorites. I would also like to say that the polls are now open for you to vote for who** _ **you**_ **would like to see Vergil get with. With that said the polls won't be closed until I actually write Winter in the story. As you can tell from the last chapter, we've reached the part where the stories diverge completely from cannon.**

 **So you know stuff from volume 3 probably won't happen, hell I don't even think the Vytal festival will be happening but you never know. I have the overall premise mapped in my head but truthfully I'm just making this up as I go along but in a way which makes sense.**

 **Also to the one guest reviewer Ralex who asked me about that one piece crossover, I can't write that for two reasons. First I have a lot of stories I'm trying to write enough chapters of before I publish them and adding one more is just going to be a pain. Second I'll admit that so far all of my current stories were written on a whim because I liked an idea that had an appeal and I said 'why not' and just went with it (ironically the reason why I have so many unpublished stories with potential sitting on my hard drive). One Piece just doesn't appeal to me, so sorry I can't do it.**

 **Now that my rant is finished enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Painting The Town**

Sun was getting a little frustrated and that is a feat in and of itself as he rarely ever loses his smile outside of a combat situation and the reason was currently walking beside him with a permanent frown on her face.

He sighed.

He wasn't angry, no, far from it and he wasn't blaming her for his mood, he is blaming himself. So far he hasn't made any significant headway with Blake and it was eating at him, not noticeable but it grew with every curt answer to his question, subtle glare and any attempt at small conversation she shot down. That last one really bummed him out since he's not the quiet type.

The sad part of his debacle was despite her clear intentions that she wasn't interested in him romantically he still liked her. Heck he even respected her more for it, her being as committed as she is to stop the White Fang is cool in his opinion and her passion for creating equal rights for the Faunus is endearing. It still sucks that she doesn't like him back and at the moment finds his company annoying but hey, what can a guy do?

He isn't the type to change himself to suite people's need, whether it is because he's a Faunus or that's just him doesn't matter. He's Sun Wukong and everyone gets the full package, either accept it or buzz off. Doesn't mean he won't try to be subtle about it since he _really_ wants to win favor with Blake.

So here we go, a brand new smart Sun coming at ya!

Blake looked around the corner then turned to him "this is it."

 _Ask a question so you don't look like some mindless moron_

"Are you sure?"

Blake gave him a deadpan expression and he raised his hands in surrender while glancing away "you know, I'm just gonna take your word for it."

 _Stupid, stupid!_

They rounded the corner with Sun buttoning his shirt and Blake taking off her bow. He reached in to take out a mask when another question popped into his head, this one he actually often wondered.

"I don't get it, if you believe what they're doing is right then why hide who you are?" he often wondered that.

' _And why Grimm masks?'_ They could have easily used ski masks or something, they should be a lot easier to get.

"The mask is our symbol" she began "humanity wanted to make monsters out of us so we chose to put on the faces of monsters" she concluded looking at the mask in his hand.

"Seriously, then why Grimm masks? It seems so dark."

"So is the guy who started it" she answered putting on her mask.

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you" he muttered sarcastically.

Both Faunus entered the building just in time to witness a White Fang member introduce Roman Torchwick unto the stage. Blake bit back the hiss which threatened to leave her mouth once he showed himself and stood quietly amongst the crowd as Roman began his speech.

* * *

"A robot" Nero mumbled absentmindedly.

"Huh?" Ruby looked at him confused.

"Nothing" he shook his head.

The two had just finished speaking to Penny or more like Ruby did all the talking while Nero just tailed them, no way was he going into a conversation with those two. Not that he was particularly phased when she dropped the ball.

That is, she being a robot!

Don't get him wrong, it was weird but he's been fighting weird all his life so a robot girl who surprisingly has emotions and artificial Aura is manageable. Ruby on the other hand didn't take it as calmly as he did and was literally bouncing around Penny while spilling two hundred words a minute. Now he's curious how she's going to take seeing a demon for the first time.

Somehow her saying that Ironwood was involved didn't really surprise him. In Nero's opinion Ironwood is a complete tool that would definitely resort to making a kid instead of dating and Penny fit the role perfectly.

Nero smirked _'sugar, spice and everything nice'_ he thought wistfully but frowned in thought _'or is it Pinocchio?'_

"Why are you smiling?" Ruby asked with eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 _None of your business!_

Was the knee jerk reply he almost uttered.

Instead, he said "just something funny I thought of" he replied nonchalantly. He would soon regret what he said.

"Really, what is it? You can tell me" she stepped in front of him "I _love_ jokes"

He cringed internally at her proximity but shook it off "you wouldn't get the reference unless you're from earth" he spoke truthfully and walked ahead.

"Aw~" she deflated but caught up with him in the blink of an eye.

The two of them walked in uncomfortable silence or at least Ruby saw it that way. They'd exhausted all she knew about weaponry so they didn't have anything to talk about. That is until she saw a banner overhead giving her a new topic for conversation.

"So, are you guys going to participate in the Vytal Festival?" she ask to hopefully start a conversation, she did _not_ like awkward silences.

"The what festival?" he asked confused.

Ruby smacked her head of course he wouldn't know about it, they'd been here for what, three days now?

"The Vytal Festival" she corrected "it's like this tournament where schools from the four kingdoms compete."

This had his attention; sure he'd heard of it but didn't really pay attention. What kind of place would name a battle royale a 'festival'? Probably the same place who sold a long sword that doubled as an assault rifle.

Nero face palmed _'should've known.'_

Now that he thought about it "not sure we're gonna compete" he said and Ruby could pick up the disappointment "we just got here so we don't have any background information" he added.

Ozpin could only do so much, not to mention they didn't necessarily have Aura to display despite being just as invulnerable to attacks as most proficient Aura users.

"Oh" she managed to say just as disappointed as him, then her scroll went off.

* * *

Weiss had been enjoying her time with Neptune so far and was glad to know that he held something deeper than just being a pretty face. He was charming, knew his place and didn't over step his boundaries. He was also clever if the conversation she was having were any proof.

As Heiress to the world's leading producer and refiner of Dust she had been approached to be courted many times. She knew her way around a conversation and would usually get bored at this point since it was usually obvious what they wanted. It was either her _father's_ wealth or to get into her panties, as crude a description it was its true.

So far Neptune's managed to keep her interested all throughout the conversation for a while now as his intentions aren't clear to her. He had refined manners she would find in people belonging to the upper class but he wasn't, that much she could tell. He wasn't like the wealthy uptight people she had to deal with; he can cut loose and have fun.

She would indulge herself in having fun for once.

Then her scroll went off and the moment shattered. Biting back her growl with a dignified sigh she opened her scroll to hear a cacophony of noises in the background and Blake's voice was at the forefront

" _Everyone, if you can hear me we need-"_

" _HEEEEELLLLLLPP!"_ Sun's voice rang through before the line was cut off.

Weiss rolled her eyes and she heard Neptune groan across from her in what must be embarrassment at Sun's outburst.

"Let's go save my idiot partner" he stood and placed a few Lien on the table before he and Weiss left the Café.

* * *

Nero and Ruby listened as Sun continued _"we've got a giant robot big, really big"_

The teens looked at each other a smirk forming on their lips.

"Oh I am _not_ missing this" Ruby commented.

An explosion sounded off in the distance, followed by the screams of civilians then Sun's voice exclaimed

" _That Torchwick guys is in it. It's like he's *grunt* ah, controlling it or something!"_

Nero saw the smoke and pointed "that way, come on" he yelled already sprinting towards the long awaited action.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the club, pandemonium would readily describe what was going on right now. The moment Dante shot at Junior, who dodged by the way, all his goons attacked him, Yang and surprisingly the twins as well. What was even more surprising though were the goons themselves.

As she dodged their bullets and delivered hard punches and kicks, she found herself having to actually try rather than just barreling through them like she did the first time around. Not that it actually made a difference since they were all going down anyways but it was enough for her to notice.

Another thing she noticed was that they were trying their damned hardest to hurt her and it's not just from guns either. They were literally trying to maul her with punches, kicks, bashing, biting, and clawing. Oh yeah, they have fangs and claws now and don't even get her started on their breath and that black tar crap coming from their mouths.

"So Dante" she started clocking a goon in the face before delivering a front kick which sent him across the room.

"These *punch* the demons *duck, reverse elbow to the back of the head* you were talking about?"

Dante was in the middle of fighting Junior who had a giant, metal…baseball bat? Yep, not gonna comment.

He easily parried and dodged the massive swing with Rebellion before sword and bat clashed raining sparks.

"Yeah, no" he answered before overpowering the huge man and with a spin transformed Rebellion to Arbiter and smashed it onto his chest. The bar owner coughed up blood as he was sent crashing through the counter bar. Dante rested Rebellion on his shoulder watching Yang fight with a pensive expression.

"What's *cross punch, uppercut* that supposed to *roundhouse kick to the face* mean?" she held her hands out.

Behind her the goon she put down for the seventh time rose to charge her with reckless abandon causing the blonde to sigh in irritation. Rearing her fist back she prepared a knockout punch when the unthinkable happened

*Bang* a shot tore through his chest *Bang* then another at his neck, blood poured from it *Bang* then another dead center between his eyes.

Yang stood there frozen in disbelief, Dante had just _killed_ someone.

Militia was afraid; she would admit that much while fighting off her former co-workers. She and her sister Melanie may have worked for a criminal and know there way around _some_ of the underworld but they weren't criminals, at least not like Junior or Roman. They were just two kids from the slums who knew how to fight and got lucky when Junior found out during their tenor as dancers.

He was so impressed with their skills that he promoted them to full time bodyguards on the spot and until blondie they did a pretty good job of keeping the patrons in place where the goons failed. Despite her training Militia didn't deal with anything past the client or gangbangers that come with the territory. She's never even fought a Grimm before, not that she wouldn't be able to kill one.

But this - she dodged the bullets from the gun while running towards the goon before doing an uppercut under the chin. He fell down but to her surprise he got up again, how!? She infused enough Aura in that to knock him. His(?) red tint glasses fell off to reveal black hollowed eyes with a beady red center.

The red clad twin only had time to gasp in shock and horror before something collided with the side of her head and she was sent sprawling to the ground. Seeing that her Aura took the brunt of his attack the goon growled lowly while stalking to her recovering form.

"Militia!" Melanie yelled in horror.

She witnessed the goon going towards her with the blade poised to chop her and she saw red. Angrily pushing off a goon she ran straight towards the one who dare hurt her sister.

"Get away from her!" the goon turned just in time to see the irate twin upon him.

With a yell Melanie performed a devastating roundhouse kick to his head, not holding back. The hit would have been able to shatter concrete and would have resulted in cerebral hemorrhaging. Considering her weapons however, the result was the clean decapitation of the top of its head.

Melanie did a 180 spin with the kick, landing in a slight crouch with blood splattered heels scraping the ground. The body stood for a moment before it landed in front of Militia with blood and chunks of brain matter spilling fort. The entire club was deathly silent, Yang and Militia stared at her sister in horror. Melanie herself was petrified as her actions suddenly clicked to mind, she began trembling.

Dante on the other hand looked at the grizzly scene apathetically however a slight frown crept upon his face. Years of being subjected to fighting these demons have desensitized him to seeing certain things. To him they weren't humans but abominations who deserved what was coming to them and considering the class they were, what Melanie did was no skin off his bones.

His eyes shifted to the camera in the corner _'that's going to be a problem'_ he thought before shooting it.

That shot seemed to bring everyone back to reality but it wasn't the same as Yang didn't seem as confident as she was before. Melanie was still reeling with what she had done while Militia bravely yet fruitlessly tried to get through to her sister. Both of them were oblivious to the previous goon raising his rifle.

He never got the chance to fire as bullets started tearing through him, startling Militia and snapping Melanie from her trance. Both sisters looked to see Dante walking up to Yang and forcibly turned the girl to face him.

Frightened Lilac eyes met fierce grey-blue eyes "listen to me, whatever morals you have about killing people don't apply here!" his voice was firm and reassuring "'cause those things aren't human" he pointed to the corpse.

Yang fought back the bile to hesitantly look at the body, her eyes immediately widened. The body Dante shot was, giving off some kind of black smoke which looked all too familiar. It was almost as if they were

"Grimm" she whispered

"That's right" her eyes regarded him and he continued "they may look human, act human but trust me they aren't, so" he looked at the twins "pull yourself together 'cause they aren't stopping until we're all dead!" he shouted before pulling Yang and himself away from a rocket.

The twins moved out of the away before the projectile exploded near their corner. They all looked where it came from to see Junior stand up with his weapon and for once Dante's jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me!?" he yelled watching Junior snarl "a baseball bat-bazooka, _the fuck_!?"

The man reared up to fire another rocket and Dante whipped out Ivory and they both fired one shot each. The bullet hit dead center in the rocket resulting in a fiery explosion which enveloped Junior but never made it past where the bullet impacted the rocket.

Amazingly the demonized bar owner stood patting down the fire "what the hell are you all standing around for!?" he yelled at his goons "KILL THEM!"

Yang saw them charging and stood with a determined expression, activating Ember Celica she smashed her fist together in a small blaze of fire and delivered three quick jabs to a goon's chest and finished off with a buckshot punch that tore a hole through it's chest. Pausing for a moment she watched as the body begin to smoke as the tell tale signs of evaporation and let out a breath she hadn't realized she held.

She turned around and cocked back her gauntlet "so who's next?" she smirked and they charged.

Militia was helping up her dazed sister when a bullet nicked Melanie on the shoulder. Militia yelled and turned to see the perpetrator still firing and a uncharacteristic snarl escaped her lips.

No one hurt her family, not again!

The bracelet on each wrist extended into three wolverine-esque red claws. Militia used the claws to deflect all the bullets before she swiped at his chest. The wound was shallow but it allowed for three blood red lines to soak through the white shirt.

The goon didn't even flinch and attempted to bash her head in; she easily avoided it and continued to claw at him while dodging his retaliations with practiced ease. It wasn't until she kicked his leg from under him and aimed at his head did she stop. That moment of hesitation was all it needed as a blade was produced from in its sleeve..

*BANG*

Before it could attack a chunk of its head was blown off getting some blood on her. Militia looked to see Yang who glared at her with hardened lilac eyes.

"Get your head in the game" she yelled before dodging some bullets and delivered a deathly uppercut with a resounding fire form her gauntlet followed by a spinning back kick before the body landed. The corpse started to give off smoke before it even crashed through one of the club's speakers.

"Ah!" she heard behind and turned to see Melanie fighting off three guys, not holding back or hesitating to give the final blow.

Tilting her head to the side she dodged a bullet literally then blocked another with her claws. She was still hesitant and he saw it and smirked firing some more, Militia deflected every shot with ease still unsure. The goon getting frustrated, took out a red bladed machete and charged at her, with a gulp she engaged him.

Like before she danced around his fierce but clumsy attacks, getting in hits at every turn but the goon never seemed to acknowledge the blows it received even though each drew blood. With a slight pause Militia kicked him the gut before giving him an uppercut, the claws going through its chin, past the mouth and into the brain. Militia paused until she saw smoke starting to encompass the body

' _He's not human, he's not human, he's not human…'_ she repeated this mantra the entire time as she tossed the slowly dissolving corpse away to engage another.

Dante fought Junior off with ease, slashing away at his Aura with Rebellion but careful not to do any mortal wounds, he needed him for interrogation after all. Finally the Nephilm disarmed him and slapped him across the face with the flat of his sword before kicking his legs from under him.

Junior looked up to him, his beady red eyes glaring at the smirking Nephilm who had the tip of the longsword at his throat.

"You three done over there?" he asked not taking his eyes off him.

There was a shotgun blast followed by a body which flew over his head "yeah I'm done" Yang spoke.

Dante noted her tone of voice and cursed mentally, he would have to have a word with her after this and those other girls as well.

Soon all three girls stood by him "what do we do with him?" Yang questioned and Dante took out a scroll

"We call everyone else and we drag his sorry demonic ass back to Beacon for some _interrogation_?" the way how he said that sent a shiver down the girl's spine and even Junior's fierce glare paled.

"Oh no you don't!" Melanie grabbed him by the collar "what the hell is going on here!?" she shouted.

Yang was taken aback by her outburst a little, she didn't sound like an annoying preppy teen like the last time, she actually sounded normal. The Blonde brawler chanced a look at her sister to see her staring blankly at a dissolving body. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor girl.

"What, you expect me to believe that crap!?" Melanie's outraged yell drew all eyes to her.

"Believe what you want" he said slapping her hands away "it doesn't change the fact that it's true" he promptly shot Junior in the leg.

"Argh" he yelled and it was then that they noticed how far he was from his previous position.

"Tell me something, does _that_ " he pointed to Junior clutching his leg "look human to you?"

Melanie took a long look at her former boss, his skin pale, teeth jagged, black ink ran from glowing blood red eyes. She flinched slightly at his glare.

Dante took out his scroll to call Nero when he paused and looked up to the DJ booth "am I going to have to come up there?" he spoke.

Yang looked in the direction as did the twins as ever so slowly a man dressed in a bear costume rose from behind the DJ booth. By now they all knew he wasn't a _man_ , still, that didn't stop Dante from laughing, hard.

"W-what the _hell_ are you wearing" he gasped between laughs.

The man in the bear costume didn't seem phased by his outburst which Yang had to admit made him look even more out of place and ridiculous. Eventually even she started to laugh at him, the twins having been used to his presence long ago watched on nonplussed that they could both forget the carnage that had happened to laugh at some guy in a bear costume working at…a..nightclub?

…..

On second thought it was really ridiculous and despite everything Militia found herself chuckling if not for the ridiculousness then as a way to distract herself from her conflicting feelings. Melanie joined in shortly afterwards, not as loud as Yang or Dante yet not so quiet like her sister.

* * *

"There they are" Weiss shouted

Neptune looked out to see a giant mech chasing Blake and Sun who were hopping onto moving cars. The bluenette dragged down his goggles and took his weapon out, the rifle unfolded slightly with the crackle of electricity as he took aim.

Meanwhile the Faunus duo were jumping vehicles with skill, Blake going for the quick route that took less energy while Sun chose to add some acrobatic flare. It didn't matter either way as the mech was quickly gaining on them.

"Please tell me you have a plan" he shouted.

"Uh, working on it" she said unsure.

Just then several balls of condensed electricity smashed into the mech, slowing it down but not doing much damage otherwise, Roman grunted in exasperation.

Ruby and Nero made it under the overpass where they spotted several cars smashing into the holographic rails.

"We're in position" Ruby sounded on her scroll.

Weiss left Neptune to distract the mech while she headed the underpass below her. Sun and Blake jumped off the car they rode once they pass the heiress and watched the mech fire a rocket at Neptune's position.

"Crap" he yelled before jumping off the bridge

"Neptune!" Weiss and Sun yelled only for him to drop in a roll between them.

"I'm okay" he winced "mostly.

"Weiss focus!" Blake yelled.

With a relieved sigh the heiress spun on her heel and drove the point of Myrtenaster into the ground. A wave of ice enveloped the path of the oncoming mech causing it to slip and crash through the holographic rail onto the underpass where Ruby and Nero awaited. The young half demon untangled his cast arm from the sling upon seeing the mech crash.

' _Something tells me I'm going to need both arms for this.'_

Soon there friends joined them except for two "where's Yang?" she asked with a hint of worry.

"And Dante" Nero finished, his tone devoid of any worry for the Nephilm.

"Don't know" Sun answered brandishing his staff.

"It doesn't matter right now" Blake spoke Gambol shroud at the ready.

"We're starting this party without them" Nero added revving Red Queen for emphases.

"Does anyone have a plan?" Neptune asked staring at the mech that was beginning to rise.

While the boys stare, the girls looked to each other with uncertainty, they practiced fighting as a team but since Yang wasn't there then they would have to use the boys as substitute.

"Uh we had a whole team attack thing we practiced but.." she trailed off.

The boys stared at her with Neptune and Sun trading looks and both men nodded then turned to Nero who shrugged and nodded out of curiosity. The girls had no idea what just happened when Sun regarded them with a grin

"Cool, we'll follow your lead then" the monkey Faunus spoke.

Ruby beamed then they all turned serious "alright" she looked to Weiss and they nodded then to Neptune "help Weiss create some cover, Arctic Ocean!" she yelled before disappearing in a flurry of roses.

Blake disappeared in shadow and a moment later Nero and Sun leapt away leaving a mildly confused Neptune and Weiss.

"Follow my lead" she spoke and struck Myrtenaster in the ground creating a large circle of ice.

Neptune did an Aura infused leap into the sky to avoid it and Weiss shouted "hit the ice with your weapon!"

Realization struck him and before he hit the ground he unfolded the gun into a trident with high voltage surging at the tip. He struck the ice with a surge of electrical energy instantly destroying the ice and causing a mist to envelope the surrounding area. The mech instantly deployed sensors all around it while Roman looked around warily.

Movement tripped one of the sensors and it fired catching Blake and Sun off guard but just as they were blown back Nero and Ruby shot through the blast fire. Both teens hit and while Ruby's attack barely phased it, the resounding explosion from Red Queen managed to dent it. He landed behind while Ruby was pushed back in front of it.

Weiss and Blake were right beside her "Checkmate!" both girls were upon the mech and she saw Sun and Neptune behind it and yelled "Sea monkey!"

"That's our cue" the Faunus got out before he and his partner engaged it from behind.

Weiss managed to take out its revolving minigun before using a Glyph to leap away. The mech opened both shoulder hatch to reveal rocket launch pads. Neptune was on top of it immediately, he stuck his trident on one shoulder launch pad. There was a crackle of static discharge before the entire arm was blown off along with the bluenette. He didn't get up back.

Sun let out a growl and split his staff in its gun-chuck form and jumped on its head to unleash shot after shot into the dent Nero made earlier determined to pry it open.

Roman shook his head inside the mech disoriented from the blast and threw the pesky Faunus off him. Sun landed next to Blake and the undamaged shoulder pad released a wave of rocket, both Faunus found themselves enveloped in a Glyph courtesy of Weiss.

Blake did a slash and her purple Aura came out of Gambol shroud splitting the missile. She continued the onslaught while Sun combined his weapon in its staff form to block incoming fire from the hand cannon Roman fired. Sun twirled the staff vertically on either side of him like a spinning fan blade, releasing balls of yellow Aura amplified shots that slammed into the mech.

Ruby ran past them when all the rockets were destroyed "Nero!" she yelled attacking low

"About damn time" he grumbled attacking high.

They slashed the robot landing one opposite sides with a flip. With a *bang* Ruby shot off in a trail of roses, while with a *rev* Nero shot forward in a trail of fire. Both of them shot back and fort parallel of each other in a dance of flaming roses, weakening the legs with each strike.

Finally getting frustrated Roman fired upon the duo with the hand cannon which Nero avoided but Ruby was nowhere in sight. By the time his sensors picked up movement it was too late, Blake and Ruby descended upon it and slashed off the remaining arm. That didn't stop the criminal though as the missile pads on its shoulder opened right as two yellow clones slammed into it and exploded on impact. The explosion following after made it stumble backwards.

"Dammit" Roman snarled, the cracked visor now red with warnings, he's running out of options.

Its chest opened to reveal mounted machine guns which fired upon them, the teens all ran for cover behind a pillar.

"How many weapons does that thing have!?" Sun shouted in frustration and everyone had to admit that thing was really persistent.

An electrical explosion sounded behind it stopping the dust bullet barrage and Sun grinned "Neptune!"

"We need to slow it down" Ruby spoke watching as the mech charged the bluenette who dodged before firing some more.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"White Rose" she responded and lowered Crescent Rose on the pavement while Weiss had a Glyph made at the muzzle.

Every shot Ruby made impact the mech while covering parts of it in chunks of ice until its feet were frozen.

While all this was going on Nero looked to his arm then the mech before putting Red Queen on his back "ah screw it" he spoke before sprinting towards it while unclipping his cast.

"Nero!" Ruby yelled in alarm.

"What does he think he's doing!?" Weiss yelled incredulously.

Nero ignored them and rolled up his sleeve before rearing back the demonic appendage where a giant glowing purple image of it was seen.

Roman saw this through his visor and managed to say "what the.." *CRASH*

With one punch Nero managed to slam the mech through three pillars, a huge chunk of it ripping off with each impact until Roman slammed into a fourth pillar and dropped to the ground.

"Ugh" he released an annoyed growl and stood up shakily "great" he wobbled before shaking it off "I just had this thing dry cleaned" he regarded his now dirty clothes then Nero with a withering glare.

Nero _regarded_ him with shot from Blue Rose which was promptly blocked by a new arrival. Nero actually raised an eyebrow at the newcomer's appearance, he had now idea what to make of her.

The strange tri-hair colored girl looked at Nero with a smile, her mismatched eyes trailed to his arm and the smile dropped and for a moment she looked at him confused. Nero could have sworn her eyes changed color but dismissed it.

"Ladies, gentlemen, Ice Queen" Roman spoke ignoring Weiss' indignant yell he tipped his hat "always a pleasure, Neo if you would."

The girl regained her composure and with a smile bowed but none made a move afterwards. There was the distinct sound of Blue Rose going off and both criminals had a hole in their heads before shattering like glass revealing the duo in the cargo hull of a Dust plane flying away.

Nero sighed in frustration before rolling up his sleeves right as the others stood beside him

"Guess he got himself a new henchman?" Sun spoke.

"Yeah" Weiss began "I guess you can say his plans, fell apart?" she quipped.

Everyone just stared at her with varying degrees of 'really' expression or bordering on annoyance and Neptune raised his hand.

Blake only shook her head in disappointment "no, just no" she walked away making Weiss stunned.

"Uh, snow angel" she turned to him "too soon"

"What?"

"Yeah" Sun scratched the back of his head not knowing what to say.

"But, Yang does it all the time" she was getting kind of miffed now.

She turned to her partner for support but the reaper could only give her an apologetic smile "sorry Weiss"

The heiress huffed until Neptune stood by her side "was it really that bad?" she looked to the taller teen.

Neptune was panicked on the inside, she put him on the spot, how is he supposed to let her know that her joke sucked worse than anything Sun ever did? Luckily Nero bailed him out

"I never thought there would be a day that I'd hear a joke even worst than what Dante makes" he began while recasting his arm "but here it is" he concluded.

"Dude" Neptune defended.

"You telling me it was good?" Nero raised an eyebrow.

Neptune had nothing to say to that and Nero didn't care as his scroll went off. He picked it out to see Dante's number he answered and Dante's face came on screen.

"I swear if you took her on a date-" his words were halted when he saw the shit eating grin Dante sported.

" _We got one"_ he said triumphantly but paused "actually we got two"

….

"You're bluffing" Nero countered.

" _He's not"_ Yang said coming into view with a serious expression.

"Where are you?" he asked.

" _Just track my scroll"_

"Okay and how do I do that?" Nero didn't really bother figuring out how to work his scroll beyond making calls and that was just common sense.

Dante rolled his eyes then smiled slyly _"ask Ruby to help or something"_ the call was disconnected after the words were said.

He sighed when Weiss spoke "what was that all about?"

Nero looked to the heiress "you know where the scroll tracker is on this thing?" he waved the scroll around.

Weiss rolled her eyes but went to show him the app for scroll tracking "can I at least know why you would want to track his location"

"He and Yang found a demon" he answered just as a grid map with three dots came up.

Weiss froze for a moment, she didn't even notice Nero take the scroll and started walking off.

"Seriously!?" Neptune said in surprise watching him walk off.

"Did I stutter?" he rebutted not stopping.

"Hey wait!" Weiss snapped storming off to his position with Neptune in tow.

They were heading in a different direction from where Beacon is and the others noticed but it was Sun who spoke up.

"Dude, where're you going!?" he shouted.

"Dante and Yang found a Demon!" he shouted back.

Three simultaneous "WHAT!" were heard before they ran after them.

Ruby caught up to Nero "really?" she asked with obvious anticipation in her voice.

Nero spared her a glance "that's what I'm going to find out" he replied.

"It would explain why they never showed up" Weiss mused.

"Yeah" Ruby agreed "sis isn't one to miss a fight"

"Unless it's for another fight" Blake added, her disgruntlement at Torchwick getting away temporarily pushed aside for something that may even be bigger than the White Fang.

* * *

 _Meanwhile At Beacon_

If someone were to tell Jaune that he would be having a conversation with a demon/angel hybrid last week he would've laughed at them. But here he is, against all odds having an honest to Oum conversation with one. If he were to be honest he would've thought that Vergil would spend more of his time with Team RWBY like the rest of his team has.

That made a lot more sense when you think about it, things just seem to happen more around RWBY than JNPR and he is perfectly fine with that. If he could Jaune would like to go through the entire four years at Beacon without the _life threatening_ drama. Though with his luck that won't be happening anytime soon, the universe likes to mess with him too much.

What was he talking about again? Oh yes Vergil's sudden interest in him- wait that didn't come out right, not _him_ but his family history.

Still though, why?

Sure the Arcs are a family of heroes and powerful Hunters, him being a work-in-progress, but why is he so interested. Jaune would ask him just that after he finish telling him another of the many stories he memorized to heart.

"That was an interesting Story Jaune" Vergil commented with a pensive expression.

Jaune scratched the back of his head, a nervous habit "uh thanks" he looked at the clock "sorry but I have to go meet Pyrrha" he said apologetically.

Vergil waved him off "don't worry about it" he stood and followed Jaune to the dorm rooms.

There was a bout of silence as they walked "so" Jaune began awkwardly

"You want to know why I'm interested in your ancestral history" Vergil stated.

At least he made it easier, Jaune nodded.

"To be honest I was curious" he admitted.

"Curious?" he repeated.

Vergil nodded "I thought I saw something familiar about your Aura so I thought that if I knew about your family then I'd get the answers I was looking for."

"Did you get them?"

"No" Vergil sighed.

"Sorry" Jaune apologized

"Why?" Vergil began "I was the one who spied on you when you were training with Pyrrha" he said "even if it was an accident" he added.

Suddenly the tables were shifted and Jaune found himself the one who is to be forgiving and that's what he did.

Chuckling, the knight waved it off "hey like you said, it was an accident" he smiled.

Vergil smiled, at that moment he felt the slight tension the blonde had from the moment he started asking him questions dissipate.

"Yes it was" they both shared a small laugh as they turned the corner.

After calming down though Vergil sighed, well the Jaune investigation has hit a dead end or at least where his family is concerned; then again he didn't really care for Jaune's family. This could only mean that he might be wrong, no he knew what he sensed. Even now he could feel it radiating off of him, it is so small that if he wasn't searching for it specifically then he would have missed it.

Think, what else could he use to determine? Wait. Vergil turned to his companion just as they reached the JNPR dorm.

"Jaune" he began getting his attention "that ancient sword you said you great grandfather used in the wars, does your family still have it?" he questioned.

"You mean Crocea Mors?" he nodded "yeah, actually I have it."

"You do?" he asked in mild surprise.

"Yeah it's in my room" he thumbed his dorm room door.

"Do you mind if I have a look at it" he asked in all seriousness.

Jaune blinked "uh sure just let me get it" he fished out his scroll and held it up to the scanner, it beeped and Jaune went inside but stopped when Vergil didn't follow "aren't you coming?"

Vergil nodded and entered, the room was much like his own except for less space with four of them. There were four beds on the four corners, a desk and a bathroom. The room was currently empty save for the both of them. Vergil watched as Jaune headed for what must have been _his_ bed but paused to scratch his head.

Jaune looked around confusedly then under the bed "where'd I put that thing?" he mumbled standing up to look around the room.

"Maybe I left it in the bathroom" he figured "hold on, be right back" he entered the bathroom.

Vergil was left alone in the empty room, he turned his to his left to come upon a blue wrapped hilt stuck behind the desk. He stared at it for a while

' _Didn't he just search the desk?'_ he shook his head and approached it.

He reached for the handle "Jaune I think I found it" his voice caught in his throat the moment he touched it. His eyes widened as he pulled the sword from the confines of the desk.

"Hey thanks, where did you find it?" he paused at seeing Vergil examining the sword with the sheath in hand.

"It was behind the desk" he said absentmindedly his eyes never leaving the sword. He turned to Jaune "how long did you say this sword has been in your family."

Jaune flinched a little "I-I don't really know, since like forever I guess" he scratched behind his neck.

Vergil nodded then held up the sheathe to inspect it when his eyes caught a button which he went to press

Jaune saw this and his eyes widened "wait don't press"

*Sprong* the sheath expanded into a shield, surprising the Nephilm for a split second but he caught it nevertheless.

"Sorry, should've told you about that"

"The sheath's a collapsible kite shield" he commented inspecting it only stopping to stare at the twin crescents.

"Yeah" he admitted then caught him staring at the emblem on the shield "that's the family crest" he informed.

Vergil looked to him then the crest in what Jaune thought was shock "you don't say" he said slowly before his brow furrowed.

With skill that he'll never be able to do for a long while Jaune watched as Vergil flipped the shield in the air while twirling the sword once. The shield flipped and collapsed into a sheath just as Vergil shoved the sword inside it in mid air.

"Here" the Nephilm held it to him horizontally in open palms.

Okay if Jaune wasn't suspicious before he was now "uh, you can just put it on-" he was cut off mid speech by Vergil who sighed

"Jaune" he began "come and take the sword" he fixed him with a stern look which reminded the blonde a little of Glynda Goodwitch.

"Oh, okay" he hesitantly made his way towards Vergil and grasped the weapon "uh thanks?" he really didn't know what _that_ was all about but chose not to question it as he gently lifted Crocea Mors only to be halted when the Nephilm's clamped it in place.

Jaune looked from his weapon to Vergil who fixed him with an almost apologetic smile "don't thank me yet" he said simply.

"Wha-" before Jaune could het a word out Vergil closed his eyes and to Jaune's astonishment started glowing blue.

A white-blue heavenly flame enveloped Crocea Mors and after a moment Vergil let go and backed away yet the flame did not dissipate instead it stayed for a few seconds before it was drowned out by an even brighter iridescent white light. Jaune stood unmoving with glazed over eyes even as his own Aura activated, it seemed to fuse with it.

The light was so bright that Vergil had to shield his eyes from it for a few seconds until a thump was heard. Looking onto the now unconscious form of Jaune lying on the ground Vergil noted how he clung to his weapon.

"It's just as I thought" he mumbled.

Not one to leave a friend in the lurch, and yes he considers him a friend, Vergil placed him on his bed and leaned Crocea Mors against the nightstand.

*Beep*

The silence allowed his sensitive ears to pick up the familiar sounds of the scroll scanner and thinking fast Vergil spied a window and dived through just the door opened revealing Ren and Nora covered from head to toe in flour. They're conversation halted midway when they saw Jaune asleep on the bed.

Nora scratched her head "isn't Jaune-Jaune supposed to be with Pyrrha Renny?" she looked to him confusedly.

Ren nodded "yes" then the draft from the window caught his eyes, heading towards the window and closed it.

Ren turned to see Nora poking Jaune's face, hard "nope, he's out of it Renny" she stroked her chin like a professional until a wide almost feral grin came on.

"You can't use Magnhild to wake him Nora" her childhood friend chided placidly.

"Aww" she pouted.

"We should tell Pyrrha Jaune won't make it today"

Upon hearing those words Nora's attitude did a complete 180 and she beamed "okay!"

Downstairs Vergil made his way towards his dorm, again when his scroll went off, he answered and Dante came on screen, his expression serious.

"What happened?" he got straight to the point.

Dante smiled _"we got one"_ he replied simply.

Vergil's expression didn't change though his features did get sharper "I'll be there soon" the transmission was cut off.

"This day just keeps getting better" he sighed but couldn't stop the smirk.

He'll have to worry about Jaune later but for now he headed to dorm room to change his clothes.

* * *

The scroll clicked off and Dante looked around "find anything!?" he shouted.

Yang rounded the corner "nope nothing demonic, but a _lot_ of illegal stuff" she added.

They moved into Juniors office and proceeded to tear apart the entire room but aside from drugs and illegal guns and weapons they didn't come up with anything worth their time. Except for the camera footage but the twins were kind enough to destroy them.

Dante sighed and looked to the twins "and he never told you _anything_ about his operation?"

Melanie shook her head "no we were just bodyguards; he didn't involve us in his business"

"Shit" he cursed then turned his head to the two demons tied up back to back. Stomping towards them he grabbed Junior by the shirt and effortlessly lifted both of them "alright asshole talk who're you working for?"

Junior only grinned and Dante punched him the face "I want a name!" he yelled.

Now Junior was fully laughing at him, that is exactly the reason why he didn't do interrogating, he just outright kills them.

"Can you fucking demons even _feel_ pain?" he asked putting a hand on Rebellion's hilt when a hand was placed on his shoulder "Yang?"

The buxom blonde had on a disapproving frown "you really gonna stoop that low?"

"It's in my blood" he grinned wryly.

Yang's eyes narrowed "we should wait until your brother comes with someone who can handle this" she gestured to the demons.

Yang was a thrill seeker but even she could admit that she was out of her depth with all this. Looking at Junior she still couldn't believe it, she didn't know the guy well but Monty he wasn't human and she didn't even notice. Does this mean anyone could be a demon, the teachers, classmates.

"Argh" stomped her foot, hard

*Clank*

' _Clank'_

Taking a step back she looked down at the ground which was partially caved in with, she looked at Junior who for the first time showed a different kind of emotion. It was one he showed when she got up close and personal with his manhood, fear.

Just like that time Yang sported a grin "found something" activating Ember Celica she punched the ground blowing up debris.

They huddled around the crater to see "a safe"

Not just any safe, a wall safe with a finger print recognition system along with a 4 digit code for unlocking.

"Lets bust it open" Yang grinned.

"Do it" Dante urged.

"WAIT!" Melanie shouted.

Yang's fist was halfway when she did "what's wrong?"

"Are you two stupid? You can't just solve everything by punching it!" she shouted.

"But life would be so much easier if it did" Dante lamented with a nostalgic sigh.

Yang nodded solemnly "besides, what's wrong with me punching the safe open?"

Melanie rolled her eyes "and what if it's booby trapped? What if the minute you punch it, it explodes or whatever is inside gets set on fire?"

At this they shared a look "that" Yang started shaking her head.

"Actually makes sense" Dante finished.

Both turned to the sense "so I guess we wait?" she suggested.

Dante sighed "I'll call Verg"

" **No** " the voice cut through all conversation.

All eyes were now on the demonic duo " **you know too much** " surprisingly it was the one in the bear costume who talked " **you're not leaving here alive.** "

Yang's shock subsided rather quickly "yeah" she folded her arms "and how're you gonna do that?"

"Dammit" Dante grimaced.

The demon grinned and a ripple ran through the entire room "what's going on?" it was Militia who spoke her claws activating.

"You ever heard of Murphy's Law?" Dante said rhetorically.

"What?"

"Just stay close" they didn't have to be told twice.

Suddenly the room expanded through a series of cracks, spikes ink black rocks shot up from the ground covering. The furniture folded in on itself and the atmosphere became murky with pitch black ink running up the walls. Both demons disappeared in a sea of murky ripples.

"Great, just had to be stuck in here" he groaned

"What is this place?" Militia asked warily.

Dante looked at them with a wry grin "Ladies, welcome to Limbo"

 _To Be Continued…._

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Dun, Dun, Duuun. It could just be me but I wasn't entirely satisfied with the action portion of this chapter, what do you guys think? With the Roman mech fight, as you can see I have yet to find a suitable name for a Ruby/Nero combo attack, any suggestions would be good and make one for Dante and Yang since I'm the first to ship them separately.**

 **As you also noticed with the fight, it didn't go as smooth as it did in the series since the boys have no idea what the combo attacks signify and after watching the JNPR fight in vol. 3 I'm pretty sure Ruby is the only person to actually do that particular type of team attacks.**

 **Anyway I showed a bit of Vergil's dark side through his interactions with Jaune, well not really** _ **dark**_ **but more like mercilessness; don't worry no evil Vergil there. We'll be visiting** _ **that**_ **subplot soon, next chapter in fact so stay tuned for part three of the Night On The Town trilogy, coming January 2016.**


	7. A Long Night

**Author's Notes: Bam! I'm back bitches, with a new style, new attitude and plenty of fucking curses because I am pissed! Did you see that Vol. 3 finale, they done do it now!**

 **THEY PUT ME ON FUCKING BLAST**

 _ **A few days later….**_

 ***Sigh***

 **Okay so I had some time to think and I had this epic speech I made and posted on my other story and I could very well put it up here but I think we've all simmered down from the overall shock of it and that speech was made for people who were still angry at the show for dropping the bombshell that was Pyrrha Nikos' death.**

 **Uh, spoiler alert?**

 **Well I'm sure everyone has seen it by now, if not at least** _ **heard**_ **about it so yeah and if you didn't then its confirmed. Now I could go into depth about how I feel and of course make another awesome speech but I'm over her death and honestly why shouldn't I be at this point. To tell the truth I didn't really watch half of the episodes for that volume, more like I read the overall summary and saw the fight scenes.**

 **Speaking of fights who here thinks that Mercury had the best fights this season? Because honestly my respect for his character grew by a mile after I saw him beat down Coco and Yatsuhashi to that awesome soundtrack. Cinder's fight with Ozpin was a complete letdown, actually I wouldn't actually call it a fight scene so much as it was a** _ **trailer**_ **or teaser. Mercury Black for Vol. 3 MVP people.**

 **Now then I want to address a problem I've seen when going to the poll results on my profile. Now whether you're aware or not I've posted and kept the profile of who you would want to see paired with Vergil and at first I've seen Cinder was in the lead and why not since she's already met Vergil.**

 **And we all read how that turned out**

 **After the vol. 3 finale though, Winter is now in lead with 3 times as much votes and growing by the minute...despite not even being mentioned in the story thus far.**

 **Now I'd like to say that you guys prefer Winter because she's a better character but seriously, we know even less about her than we do Cinder and it kind of rubs me the wrong way when you guys let what happens in cannon dictates what you do when you go on FAN** _ **FICTION!**_

 **Come on people! What's the reason why we come here in the first place!?**

 **It's to enjoy a good story of what ifs! So what if Cinder is a heartless, scheming bitch in canon who kills one of RWBY's greatest characters thus detroying the one and only pairing we actually wanted to see happen!? Honestly I could give crap because at the end of the day I went on Fanfiction and read a story where she and Pyrrha cuddled next to Jaune in bed because Ozpin is obsessed with shipping. (For those of you interested it's called Wizard of Ships. Short and funny story I recommend for anyone who enjoys absurd humor).**

 **I mean seriously I could write Vergil in a three way relationship with those women (and trust me I've thought about it...a _lot_ ) and I could still make this story work. In fact I might just pair him with Cinder anyway just to get a rise out of you but I digress.**

 **So in conclusion FUCK CANON, this is fanfiction and I could write whatever I want here and you could either enjoy it or move on to a next story. Now that it is out of the way I don't want to hear about the Vol. 3 finale or have a debate with anyone about how Rooster Teeth fucked our perception of how you see the show now because in the end it doesn't really matter, it's as important as you want it to be and to** _ **me**_ **it isn't so watch those words in your reviews.**

 **Now that I've given an answer to what some of you might be thinking without further ado I give you…**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: A Long Night**

"Shit, stuck in Limbo!"Dante cursed "should've seen that coming" he muttered with an annoyed expression.

He _really_ should've seen it coming, these were demons for Christ sake but he'd thought that since they didn't get dragged in Limbo from the start then the demons of Remnant couldn't. Thanks to his naivety he was stuck in there, he wasn't worried about himself but his companions. Limbo was a space that had a mind of its own and operates through the will of whatever demon who created it.

Long story short if a demon drags you in there to kill you then the space would operate to that goal. The result is an almost unpredictable shift in the space which would work to kill him, even Dante won't screw around in a place like this despite his attitude. Then there's the hellgate which could be _anywhere_ in the damn city.

Shaking his head he looked around "alright you three, listen up!" he shouted gaining their attention.

"Don't have a lot of time to explain the finer details and I won't repeat, got that!?" seeing his serious expression they nodded.

With that he channeled the teachings his parents drummed into his mind and spoke "good, don't know which but one of those demons dragged us into Limbo a space between dimensions where that demon has some control over to an extent. The only way we're going to get out of here is if we find the demon and kill it then we get out of Limbo" he snapped his finger "just like that.

Just then the words _**'NO ESCAPE'**_ swirled around the walls in blood.

Dante saw the red clad twin start shaking "hey red" she looked to him "ignore it" he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder "trust me, it barks more than it could bite" he turned to Yang "you okay Goldie Locks?" he smirked.

Yang scoffed "gotta admit, almost had me" she looked around "it's weird alright, but nothing I can't handle" she was grinning now "Hear that!? Bring it on!" she shouted.

Just then a ghastly voice echoed throughout the room _**"KILL"**_

Yang looked to them and chuckled nervously "huh, uh, whoops?"

Melanie scowled at her "you just had to say it didn't you?"

Dante shrugged "eh we were gonna get attacked anyway" he drew Rebellion as demons began popping out of the ground "let's get this party started!"

The girls readied into positions as the demons fully emerged. They were humanoid in shape but that was where the similarities stop. They were pitch black in color with bone masks covering their faces, they also held various weapons mostly machetes and cleavers. For all intents they were simply human-looking Grimm.

At this Yang relaxed a little as did the twins, the blonde slammed her fist together with all doubts leaving and confidence she shot of in a blazing glory to the closest demon. Her fist cocked back she threw a punch before the demon could even react

*CRACK* *BOOM*

The demon was sent flying she didn't even make out the others engaging, her thoughts only on the agents of darkness before her. Through the carnage the blonde only thought

' _Now that's what I'm talking about!'_

* * *

With a ding the elevator doors opened and Vergil stepped out dressed in his combat gear with Yamato secured in his left hand. He approached the headmaster's office and not even bothering with formalities entered the room much to the occupants' surprise. Glynda got over her shock quickly and was about to reprimand him when Ozpin held his hand out to halt her.

Ozpin not expecting any visitors looked at him in curiosity "what brings you here Mr. Sparda?" he asked but the expression the young Nephilm wore gave him a hint to the gravity of the situation.

"Dante just contacted me" he began "he managed to find a demon."

This got both their attention as Ozpin's brow furrowed while Glynda looked astonished "are you sure?" the headmistress asked.

Vergil nodded "despite how he acts Dante wouldn't joke about this situation."

"Where did he encounter it?" she asked approaching him.

Vergil fished out his scroll and handed it to her "I tracked his scroll to a location."

Glynda looked at the scroll with a raised eyebrow "I'm not seeing his scroll signature"

"What?" he took it back and true to his word the red dot signifying his brother was gone, only the moving purple of Nero and his own blue remained "but it was just here" he looked to her "I'm not lying" he defended calmly.

"We're not accusing you of lying Vergil" Ozpin reassured "can you get a fix on Dante's previous location Glynda?"

"Yes sir" the disciplinarian took out her own scroll and tapped it a few times, then cross referenced it with the city map, she raised an eyebrow "it seems that his last known location was a night club called The Three Bears" she deadpanned.

If Vergil didn't have any self control he would've groaned aloud with a face palm, instead he sighed.

' _Of course'_

"He wasn't the only one" she added looking over the data "it appears he was with Miss Xiao Long, both of their signatures disappeared at the same time" she added.

That was unsettling, how could they just disappear like that? Did their scroll get damaged in the fight? Most likely but then he wouldn't have called unless he had the situation under control. What else could be the reason why they _both_ disappear? A sense of dread came over him when another thought came to mind.

"Have you figured something out Vergil?" Ozpin questioned after seeing his troubled expression.

Vergil nodded "they may have been dragged into Limbo" he answered with slight dread.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow "can you elaborate?"

"Yes, demons have the power to drag unsuspecting persons into a space between dimensions. We call this 'pocket' dimension Limbo, in this space the demon who creates it has a semblance of control over the area. The environment itself works to the will of the demon and can transfigure itself to impede or even kill the one who was dragged inside."

As they listened, the feeling of dread could even be seen on Ozpin's face and why wouldn't they be afraid. These demons basically have the power to effectively kidnap someone without a trace and do whatever they wanted within an environment they controlled.

Ozpin schooled his emotions "is there a way for them to escape?"

"Yes, they would have to find and kill the demon who dragged them inside"

"But wouldn't the demon have control of the environment?" Glynda interjected.

Vergil smiled "they don't have total control and the demon would have to be in Limbo for them to be trapped. It would be difficult but if they searched they can find it granted if they survive" as if just remembering "it's not just the environment they would have to be wary of but usually we would face hordes of lesser demons as well but they should be able to handle it, the demons would be as strong as the common Grimm" he added.

This did little to alleviate their worry "is there no other way?" Glynda asked almost pleadingly.

"We have a spell which could be used to open a gateway, I can get it but it'll take a while."

Ozpin released a silent breath "please do so" he turned to Glynda "and what of Nero?"

"It would seem Nero is headed to the same direction Dante's last signature was" Glynda informed.

Vergil immediately dialed Nero's scroll number, soon enough his face appeared on the screen.

" _Vergil, Dante tell you the news?"_

"Yes, unfortunately he might've been dragged into Limbo and it looks like Yang went with him"

" _Crap, so that's why we lost their signal"_ he grumbled.

"He was in a club called The Three Bears"

" _The Three bears? What kind of name for club is-"_

" _Dude, I see it!" Sun's_ voice cut him off.

" _And there's Bumblebee!"_ Ruby shouted.

" _We found it, how long till you get here?"_

"I'm not sure, I'm going home for a spray can."

* * *

Nero nodded "see you later Verg" the video call ended and he stuffed the scroll in his pocket and walked up to the club, he noticed someone missing "where's Blake and Sun?"

"She volunteered to go in first" Weiss offered "Sun offered to help her" she turned to the Club with narrowed eyes "it's too quiet."

Nero had to agree with that _'he really got himself stuck in Limbo,_ _ **again**_ _'_ he sighed.

Regaining his composure he approached the huge double doors which were slightly ajar but would allow for him to enter. Once he was close enough his senses picked up demonic energy.

' _Must be hiding'_ he thought pulling Blue Rose from his holster.

"There's a demon inside" he said suddenly "must be hiding if they haven't found it yet" he added.

"Oh no" Ruby said under her breathtaking out Crescent Rose.

The others drew their weapons as well as they followed Nero inside. Ruby, Weiss and Neptune's jaws dropped at the scene before them. The room was almost completely destroyed with burn marks in various areas; shell casings littered the dance floor. Yet all this paled in comparison to the shock of seeing the corpses across the room. Some of them had dark colored blood pooling around them.

Neptune had to hold down his mouth to avoid throwing up, Weiss stared at the scene appalled and swallowed a lump in her throat and Ruby…

Eyes widening Nero and Weiss turned sharply to the young leader to see her hands fall limply to her side looking over the carnage.

"Ruby" Weiss whispered to her partner approaching slowly.

Wide horrified silver eyes stared at her "wh-I, Yang?" she looked back to the carnage then Nero who had an expression she didn't recognize before walking ahead.

She didn't have any time to think about it now as the pressure on her shoulder tore her from the sight. She turned to see Weiss giving her a reassuring squeeze

"I'm sure your sister's alright, she wouldn't fall so easily" the words were sincere but a little awkward, it was obvious that the heiress was not used to comforting someone.

Having kept his lunch down Neptune was free to observe a nearby corpse then soon raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Uh, guys" he said hesitantly getting the girl's attention "is it just me or are they, smoking?"

Now that the partners shook off some of their shock they looked around to find that true to his observation, the bodies were indeed giving off smoke.

"They're demons" Nero spoke getting their attention.

Weiss went to speak but an explosion from above got their attention "looks like they found it" Nero muttered heading to the stairs.

* * *

Blake glanced at Sun's back and almost smirked at the familiarity of their situation. Here he was blocking a blast meant for her by using one hand to twirl his staff at high speeds. This time though he didn't wait for her to attack like last time and instead charge him. Not missing a beat she followed him, Junior shot another rocket at them.

Sun and Blake ran on either side avoiding the rocket, Sun leapt in the air and brought down his staff. Junior brought up his weapon to block, the staff connected but to the demon's shock the staff bended at the point of impact and he found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun before

*Boom*

Junior was temporarily blinded by the point blank blast causing him to stumble. Blake ran up to the disoriented demonic man and kicked him square in the gut causing him to double over where she slashed under his chin. Junior's head snapped up sharply just in time as Sun jumped over the cat Faunus and did a double spin kick in mid air. The first kick disarmed him the second one landed in his face, hard.

The large man was forced to bend backwards but not off his feet from the force of the kick. It wasn't until Gambol Shroud wrapped around his leg and was yanked did he find himself freefalling. Blake appeared at his side and with a yell slammed Gambol's sheathe-cleaver square in the demon's head mid-fall. Junior's head shattered the ground and he did not get up again.

Releasing a calming breath she untangled the ribbon from his foot when Sun walked up to her "good teamwork" he grinned.

Her expression softened but didn't change and they both looked down at the unconscious third party. After a while he commented

"So that's a demon" he used his staff to poke its head a few times.

Blake grabbed the staff "would you cut it out, we don't want him to wake up" she hissed with a fierce glare.

Both Faunus turned just in time to see Nero walking through the door along with the rest of their friends.

"What happened?" Nero questioned.

"We came in and saw him messing with the safe" Sun began "he spotted us and well.." he gestured to the carnage then to the unconscious body Blake was tying up with Gambol Shroud's ribbon.

"Is that the demon you mentioned" Weiss asked.

Nero nodded "yeah"

Ruby looked around almost frantically "where's Yang!?" she said in a panicked tone

At this Blake looked at her leader sympathetically "we didn't find her" she said solemnly.

Seeing that Ruby was about to hyperventilate Nero spoke up "that's because she's in limbo."

"Limbo?" Ruby asked the boy who was looking at the partially destroyed safe.

"Yeah, it's a space in between dimensions that's created and maintained by a demon. I'm guessing that after what happened downstairs" he saw Ruby grimace "she and Dante got dragged into it."

"This just keeps getting better" Neptune muttered.

"Can we get them out?" she asked pleadingly.

"Yeah, Vergil's probably on his way with a means of getting them out right now" Ruby sighed and the tension seemed to let out a little "but, knowing Dante he's probably going to do the alternative before Verg even gets here."

"What's the alternative?" Blake asked curiously.

Nero smirked "kill the demon that dragged them in there."

* * *

Dante led the girls down what would have been considered the short hallway from Junior's office. What Militia noticed was that it was at least ten times bigger and longer not to mention

*Crack*

Before they could continue to run the floor shifted and fell away into and endless void "whoa" was all he said but Dante didn't stop and instead jumped over the gap, the girls followed suit.

"So that's what you meant" Yang commented.

"Yep" he nodded "see why we're not going any faster?"

It was true they were limiting their speed to a casual jog, might take longer but Dante didn't want to chance falling into an endless void.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Miltiades questioned.

"I can sense him, the demon can run but he can't hide from me"

"Why doesn't he just get rid of us though?" Yang questioned "since he can you know, _control_ all this" she spread her arms wide.

"Doesn't work that way" he started "even the most high class demons don't have _total_ control over Limbo, the way how they make it is that they 'borrow' a piece of empty space and warp it into what they want. They don't actually _create_ it so there are certain things even they can't do" he informed before stopping.

Several demons literally popped out of the ground Dante and Yang sped up their pace leaving the twins in the dust. Less than a minute later the demons were dead, and it could be just her imagination but Militia could've sworn that she saw _something_ fly into Dante from the demon corpse before it completely dissolved.

The group continued forward to the stairs or at least what was supposed to be the stairs. They ended up having to stop when they came upon a void of space where pieces of the stairs were floating.

"Great" Melanie fumed "how're we suppose to get to the other side?"

Miltiades didn't pay attention to her instead looking at Dante who looked around until he spotted something. She watched as the sword on his back shifted into something like a grappling hook only…different.

Dante whipped Ophion onto a piece of the staircase, red energy shot down the hook before it reared back dragging the heavy looking metal towards them.

"Get on" he ordered jumping on, the rest followed when I say jump do it" was all he said before whipping Ophion onto a rock and dragged them over.

Once they were close enough to the dance floor below he shouted "JUMP!"

They landed hard on the grid floor for the girls, their Aura took the brunt of the impact but Dante was naturally tough enough withstand it. The moment they landed the club seemed to come alive as a red neon barrier enveloped around the pillars just out of the dance floor to trap them.

 **[Play Noisia: Electro/Backbeat aka Lilith Club Theme]**

"Now what the hell is going on!?" Melanie shouted above the loud music.

"Son of a bitch is gonna try and kill us!"

"How's that different from before!?"

"We know where is! He's gonna pull out all the stops and if we get through it then-"

"We can send his demonic ass back to hell!" Yang finished.

Just then more demons popped out of the dance floor and the four proceeded to tear them apart. Halfway into the fight the music lowered somewhat as an image of the demonic bear-man seemed to form on the barrier like a television.

" **Welcome one and all to the Three Bears Fight Club"** he announced and to the girls' mild shock they could hear cheering in the background **"our contestants tonight are the blonde bimbo who wrecked the club the last time, Yang Xiao Long"** a row of boo's could be heard.

At the same time said blonde bimbo's fist exploded through the demons head and crashed square into the bear-man image's face "ho-oh looks like someone forgot whose ass got trounced the last time I was here" she said menacingly with a flash of red in her eyes.

" **Next we have the little emo shit stain, Dante"**

Approximately 20 rounds was unloaded into the several demons that dropped dead. Dante completely ignored the bear-man's taunting.

" **And last but not least we have the twin sluts Melanie and Miltiades Melachite"** this time there was some cheer mixed in with the cheering

Militia ripped the throat from a demon and watched as it dissolved into black ink and disappear she gave the bear-man image a dark look. Militia did _not_ appreciate being called a slut, especially since she knew he was one of the few individuals to know her before she became Junior's bodyguards.

Melanie axe kicked the last demon splitting its head down the middle "Rico, I'm going to like, kick your ass for this!" she shouted.

The demon bear-man gave her grin showing his abnormally large mouth lined with razor sharp pointed teeth and offered her two words **"…good luck"**

 **[Song turned to background music]**

With those parting words the dj booth that was before them stretched away like a speeding car as the barriers blocking the path came down.

They shouldn't be surprised but Melanie couldn't help but scream out in frustration "dammit he was _right there_!"

"Would you relax!" Dante shouted spinning on the twin "you're letting it get to you! That's what demons like that do, they piss you off so you go blindly charging in like an idiot then fall into a trap and get yourself killed!"

Militia patted her panting sister on the back and white clad twin seemed to calm down "we'll get him sis" the red twin comforted.

"Is this going to be a regular thing?" Yang questioned as they began walking.

"Probably not, the club isn't that big and I can still see him so that's literally as far as he can go" he turned to her "we make it over there then he'll have to fight us."

They stopped at the edge of the dance floor overlooking an abyss "couldn't he just make a barrier or something" Militia questioned.

"Nah, doing all this crap" he gestured to his surroundings "takes energy, he wants to take us out before we reach him and he'll spend all the energy to make the place do it. _When_ we reach him he won't have any power to make barriers" he concluded.

"That's great and all but how are we supposed to get across that?" Melanie gestured to the platform a good distance away.

Even an Aura infused leap wouldn't get them across and it was too far for Ophion to latch onto. Dante ran to the edge before leaping

"Dante!"

"Is he crazy!?"

Militia stayed quiet and watched as the leap the teen took only got him a few feet shy of the landing but before he could fall she saw him kick the air and glide the rest of the way via wisps of light like wind.

Taking out Ophion Dante shouted "jump and I'll pull you the rest of the way!"

As the least surprised of the trio Yang was the first to jump with a boost shot from Ember Celica for good measure. She made it closer than Dante but ultimately began plummeting, that's when Dante used Ophion to quickly pull her to him.

"Next!" he shouted.

* * *

"What am I looking at here?" Sun questioned.

Right now they were all huddled around the table looking at a map of Vale only it had circles in a few places.

"It could be hideouts for other demons?" Blake mused.

"But there's so many of them" Ruby looked at the map with worry.

They didn't know what the map signified but if it is indeed what Blake suggested then they could be in serious trouble. None of them would want to think that there could be so many demons living amongst them.

"It could be for all we know" Nero interrupted "on earth there were literally thousands, some disguised themselves as humans, most of the lesser ones stay in limbo as grunts to kill anyone who gets dragged in and then there are the ones like him" he gestured to the unconscious club owner.

"What's so different about him" Weiss questioned while eyeing him.

"Believe it or not at some point that guy was actually human but got corrupted to the point where he turned into a demon" he scowled.

The others however grew pale at his words, Neptune gulped "so let me get this straight. You're saying that guy is human?"

"No I'm saying he _was_ human. Whoever this guy was before is dead" he said in a dark tone "right now he's a demon with a human shell."

They continued to stare at the downed former human with horror and some disgust "don't worry about that though" he spoke again "you guys are too strong to be corrupted like that schmuck" his eyes narrowed "but you might wanna tell your friend Jaune to watch his back because when this thing goes FUBAR they'll use _anything_ against you."

Weiss, Blake and especially Ruby knew that much, the blonde wasn't the most capable fighter and wouldn't have the mental fortitude that comes with it to ward off temptation. Blake's bow twitched and Sun blinked as they both looked up

"You hear that?" the blonde Faunus questioned.

Right after the sound became audible to all in the room "what is that?" Ruby said in confusion.

"Sounds like a bullhead engine" Neptune supplied as he gained a pensive expression "V12 standard issue probably from Beacon, nope definitely Beacon" he nodded but found himself being stared at "what?"

"How could you possibly know that?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"I took a part time course in engineering, fixing airships, bullheads and the sort" he shrugged then smirked "surprised?"

Weiss at least had the decency to be embarrassed and avert her gaze _interesting indeed._

Sun rolled his eyes "yeah whatever but I think you guys are missing one very important detail here. There is a Bullhead out there that probably has a teacher and they are gonna wonder why we're inside a totaled Club after curfew with a guy tied up and a bunch of dead bodies on the dance floor."

"I wouldn't worry about that" Nero walked towards the unconscious demon and started dragging him away "it's just Vergil" he said to their relief.

* * *

Outside the building a Bullhead hovered above the roof of the club before eventually landing. The two occupants Vergil along with Glynda Goodwitch exited the vehicle. Vergil's eyes narrowed in suspicion, this was definitely the place. As for Glynda the moment she touched the roof the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

She didn't need to be a veteran huntress who has been through more battles than she cared to count to know that there was something wrong with this place. Glynda didn't know what she was feeling, it was something she'd felt in being in Nero's presence except far more sinister. She could practically _feel_ it wafting off of the place and the grip on her riding crop tightened as they descended to the ground and entered the building.

Ozpin had entrusted her to personally seeing to the safety of the students and to secure this _demon_ they allegedly caught. It spoke volumes of how serious he's taking all of this, she was still skeptical despite everything. Then again the Grimm were already a major threat to mankind that they have only recently managed to control.

The last thing anyone wanted to know was that they weren't the only threat or the _real_ one at all!

They both entered the club, Vergil allowing the older woman first, like a gentleman. If it were any other student then she would've reprimanded them but Vergil, from what she's gathered, was very mature for his age and means nothing by it. To her credit Glynda maintained her stoic gaze when she looked over the carnage.

It was nothing she's never seen before.

What did surprise her was the fact that the bodies looked to be in the final stages of dissolving, not unlike the Grimm. A sigh caused her to momentarily glance at her companion. Vergil was standing over the body of a demon.

"This has Dante written all over it"

Glynda took slow steps as she surveyed the destroyed club and spotted a body by a smashed pillar. Ah yes, she could recognize Yang Xiao Long's work anywhere. So they were definitely here, she checked her personal scroll and frowned, their signal were still nowhere to be found. Just then footsteps were heard coming down the stairs along with some chatter.

Eventually they all came down Vergil's teammate Nero followed by team RWB(Y) and two boys she didn't recognize, they must be from another school. Upon seeing her everyone except Nero froze in terror and they should. Glynda came closer, her expression stern, she was ready to reprimand them heavily for breaking curfew.

"M-Miss Goodwitch" Ruby squeaked "I-we" Ruby trailed off looking to her team to back her up.

The platinum blonde however held up her hand "we will be discussing your punishments accordingly Miss Rose" her gaze switched to Nero who threw down Junior "for now you and your team will wait in the bullhead on the roof"

"But…" she gave the girl a stern glare that made her recoil.

Blake stepped forward "our teammate is missing professor" she gulped slightly when the heated gaze was now upon her "we won't leave without her" she said adamantly.

"You will do no such thing! Your team has already violated at least five rules with that little stunt you pulled on the highway"

"y-you saw that?" Ruby asked uncertainly.

"Unfortunately" Vergil sighed "some bystanders caught the entire fight on video and its currently on the news and has gone viral on Dustube"

Nero summarized the combined thoughts of all present during that fight in one word "shit."

"Watch your tone young man" Glynda warned.

Nero spared her the same glare before looking to the Nephilm "so he's out of it, Dante and Yang are in limbo and I think we might've found a map of other demon owned bars all across Vale."

"What?" Glynda's eyes widened "there is a possibility that there is more than one of these places?" Nero nodded.

Vergil sighed again "we'll have to deal with that later, right now we have get Dante and Yang out of limbo" he then began opening his satchel.

"How do we do that?" Sun asked.

Glynda herself was curious as well, during their journey he didn't fill her in how they were suppose to get them out of there.

Vergil took out several glass shards from the satchel "well first of all, we'll need to find them first" he handed everyone a shard "these shards will allow you to see beyond the mortal plane and into limbo" he explained as they all looked at the glass with some apprehension.

The first to look through the glass was Sun "whoa, you guys gotta see this" they all complied and had an overall similar reaction.

Glynda too looked through the glass, the place had a grey tint to it but what caught her attention was how _huge_ the place was. The club was destroyed yet what she was seeing was an even bigger club with flashing lights, dark matter crept upon the walls and if she didn't know any better then she would've thought there be music playing.

Alas the shards only provided sight not sound.

"Take a look at the DJ booth"

They did as complied and looked at the booth that was only a few feet away. In limbo however it might as well be a few blocks down the street. Between them and booth were a culmination of neon pathways, platform stages and abyss. In fact Weiss looked down to find that although they were on the dance floor, in limbo they were standing over an abyss.

"I can see miss Xiao Long" the disciplinarian spoke squinting her eye a little "it seems that she along with Mr Sparda and two other individuals are engaging the enemy" she reported.

"I see her too" Weiss confirmed "we need to get closer."

"Don't bother" Vergil stopped them "the way how limbo works is that the environment can shift itself to appear larger and smaller so even though it looks like they're straight ahead in actuality they're in another part of the building entirely."

"We will have to split into teams and search for them" Glynda realized with a deepening frown. She didn't want to involve the children any further but it can't be helped.

"Precisely so after we find it Professor Goodwitch and I will go there to help them escape"

Nero frowned "I'm coming with you"

"No I need you to stay here in case more show up"

"Why can't she stay and I go" he gestured to Glynda who fought the urge to use her Semblance on him.

"Professor Goodwitch is going to help Yang and the other two escape while I stay to help Dante finish off the demon. I need you to stay here and track their movement and make the spell to get them out of there."

"…. _ **fine**_ " the young half demon said through gritted teeth "but the next demon we see is _mine_ , got it?"

Vergil gave a small smile "of course and a word of warning, when you look through the glass into limbo you make your presence known to whatever inhabits there." Everyone split off into the same search groups with their heads on a swivel.

…

Ruby looked uncharacteristically serious Nero noted. Her expression never once changed from her serious expression. It was a nice change of pace from the preppy, hyperactive, awkward girl he's come to know her as.

' _She really cares about her sister'_ he thought looking ahead trying to find their older siblings/sibling figure.

…

' _We are in way over our heads'_ was the thought Neptune had as he looked around limbo.

Some of the things he's seeing made his skin crawl. The only reason why he's seemingly keeping his composure was because Weiss was there and the last thing he wants is to look uncool in front of her. He's had experiences with bad dates before so he's spent time practicing his poker face.

The only difference was that instead of a pleasant smile it's a neutral almost aloof expression with a tinge of caution. After all he had to add some realism and no one could possibly be completely unfazed by the things he's seeing right now.

Beside him Weiss shuffled her feet to avoid stepping on that black… _stuff_ that seemed to occupy the crevices of that world. She then mentally berated herself since she wasn't in that world so her foot should harmlessly passed through the muck.

She momentarily cringed, not that she would do it either way _'disgusting'_

Her gaze flickered to Neptune who wore a completely serious expression. She herself had managed to keep her gaze stoic, years of attending meetings and balls hosted by her father taught her that. She is after all the _perfect_ Schnee heiress. His eyes caught hers

"You alright?" he questioned.

"I am" she held her gaze forward after the curt reply.

He thought "okay" his gaze lingered on her stoic face for a moment before he too faced forward.

' _So frigid'_ he thought

' _So Aloof'_ she thought

' _I like it'_ they both thought all the while smiling internally.

…

' _This is all my fault'_ were the thoughts of Blake belladonna as she and Sun continued to trek around the club _'why did I let them get involved? If I'd just gone alone then none of this wouldn't have happened. We wouldn't be in trouble and my partner wouldn't have gotten trapped in some parallel dimension fighting off hordes of demons'_

While the guilt of what her decision has led to consumed Blake, her companion was "this is so cool" more optimistic.

Blake turned to Sun who was looking at something inside a room. He turned to her and ushered her over "I found them" he said and Blake was by his side in a second.

The room itself was empty and looked dark but once she looked through the glass, her mouth parted in awe. There was Dante and Yang along with two other girls who appeared to be twins. They were fighting what appears to be a cross between Grimm and human on what looked like a dance floor.

"Demons.." she trailed off watching the creatures.

While the twins fought off a number of demons that looked more like zombies Dante was overpowering a demon with a chainsaw who currently set itself on fire and charged at the Nephilm. Meanwhile her eyes spied her partner who was engaging a behemoth of a demon that was more or less the size of the Atlesian Paladin Roman piloted earlier.

The mech that took the six of them to take down.

She and Sun winced when a shotgun punch failed to even leave a dent in its thick armor. The blonde rolled out the way when it retaliated with a clumsy punch that set it off balance so it had to keep itself from falling over. Yang tried firing at its back and Blake saw it gave something like an enraged roar before leaping at her partner with fist enflame.

Yang nimbly rolled forward to avoid the body slam but didn't expect a _fiery_ shockwave when the demon hit the ground. Blake winced when Yang was slammed into what she assumed to be a barrier. That tears it, she wanted to go in right now, her fist clenched and for a moment she forgot where she was and was about to jump into the fray.

"Yeah guys we found them" Sun's voice brought her back to the real world even as his tail blocked her path and his hand came to her shoulder "we're in one of the private rooms around the back" he said in a serious tone.

It was odd seeing him like that, all serious, wasn't he supposed to be a thrill seeking, airheaded boy who had a misguided crush on her? Or maybe she was just comparing him to her partner, speaking of…..

Yang had gotten up, her eyes flashed red against the grey tint of the world and she could see flames coming off her hair just like that time at initiation. With bared teeth she charged at the demon still trying to get up. It had just made it to its knees when Yang's flaming fist connected with its rear. Blake and Sun's mouth dropped as the hulking creature was literally exploded into bloody chunks.

"She killed that thing with one punch" the monkey Faunus said in disbelief.

Blake couldn't help but gain a satisfactory smile, she almost felt proud Yang was her partner, what was she worried about? Blake was so used to doing things on her own that she thought the team would slow her down but in actuality they could take care of themselves. Even Sun and Neptune were proved to be competent tonight despite their flaws.

Now she felt silly, they were Hunters in training, the future protectors of mankind, it was foolish of her to ever think that they would slow her down.

"Blake, Sun!?"

The cat Faunus wasn't that surprised to find that Ruby was the first to arrive

"Over here!" Sun yelled waving at her.

Ruby was before him in a split second with rose petals fluttering about. The younger girl eyed her teammate and Blake pointed in the room. Ruby hastily looked through the glass to see her sister fighting off demons with her Semblance activated. It was basically a one hit kill everytime her fist connected with one of them.

A wide smile crossed her features as relief settled in "KICK THEIR BUTTS YANG!" she cheered.

"They can't hear you" Nero's voice sounded Ruby looked his way "so don't make a racket I don't think Blake appreciates the noise."

At this the girl's head swiveled to the silent cat Faunus whose cringe left her expression "Blake I'm so sorry" she apologized frantically.

"It's fine" yet not unexpected.

If Blake wasn't reserved then she too would be cheering her teammate on because Yang was definitely on a role.

Ruby spotted Neptune and "Weiss!" she appeared before said girl "you've got to see this" without waiting for the girl to give reply she sped back to the doorway.

Weiss took a moment to steady herself "I'm perfectly capable of walking myself" she huffed but looked through her glass nonetheless.

What she saw made her pause "well, isn't it awesome?" Ruby urged.

Taking a moment to compose herself before giving her reply "quite, I expected nothing less" she spoke with a regal dignity that made Blake and Nero roll their eyes.

 _Typical Schnee_

"You wouldn't be cheering if you could actually hear her though" Nero commented.

"Really" Weiss raised an eyebrow "what is she saying?"

Nero looked to Ruby momentarily before he replied to Weiss "a bunch of random swears" and Dante said he didn't have any tact "something about her hair"

' _Of course'_ were Weiss and Blake's exasperated thoughts.

Ruby gained a sheepish look, now that she looked properly Yang didn't have her usual smile when fighting. She actually looked pissed right now, huh, how'd she miss that?

Neptune had just started to look when he saw Dante deliver a repeated sword stab so fast his blade actually made afterimages. With a final thrust the demon exploded into black mist right before them. He met their gaze and had Rebellion on his shoulder and gave them a tow finger salute with a smirk.

While Nero rolled his eyes no one had anything to say to that except Neptune who nodded "nice."

* * *

Without the presence of demonic energy to keep the barrier up it collapsed, they had been fighting for a while now. At least it felt like that to Dante, he could literally fight all day without breaking a sweat but the same couldn't be said for the girls though. The twins were spent, leaning against each other for support. Melanie actually got smashed by the behemoth before Yang fought it, Militia was momentarily distracted by this and left herself open to several attacks.

Aura or not they were still human and it was wishful thinking on his part for thinking they could actually keep up with him forever. Even Yang was panting so whatever that berserker thing did to give her a boost in power drained her. She wasn't out though but he wasn't going to risk it now that they were in the home stretch.

That demon will be pulling out all the stops for this so things will get messy luckily he won't have to gamble with their lives for much longer.

"Good news ladies" he grinned coming closer.

"We're here?" Yang said hopefully.

"Nah, but the cavalry is" he thumbed behind him.

The girls looked and right there they could see several people, some more than others, they didn't have any color but Yang knew her sister anywhere.

"Ruby?" she saw the black and white girl grin and ran towards her, she did the same "RUBY!" both sisters went to embrace each with Ruby even Jumping to reach into her arms.

In the end though, they slipped through each other causing Yang to stumble and for Ruby to fall flat on her face "wha?" Yang looked to the girl as Weiss helped her up.

"We're in a different dimension remember?" Dante reminded.

"Oh"

"So how are they supposed to help us?" asked Militia wobbly standing "cause I don't think I can keep doing this and Melanie is low on Aura" she gazed on her sister who looked close to passing out.

"Oh don't worry about that" he reassured before looking to Nero "Vergil here?"

"Yeah he's on his way with Goodwitch" Nero replied

Yang suddenly became paler "p-p-professor Goodwitch..is here!"

Nero shrugged "you guys found a demonic hideout, what you expect Ozpin to sit back and watch how we handle this?"

'That's what he's been doing up 'till now' she went to reply when the others looked behind them Vergil had just appeared with a barely visible shadowy outline next to him. Everyone in the room became smaller and Yang actually saw Ruby try to hide behind Weiss who had gone stiff.

Vergil looked to the shadowy figure "you'll have to use your glass professor"

Yang jumped back when Glynda Goodwitch suddenly appeared before her, the disciplinarian looked around through the glass and her eyes narrowed on Yang. Even when they were separated by a dimensional barrier she scares the hell out of the blonde. She saw the professor began to speak yet her words did not reach her.

"I'm afraid she can't hear you professor Goodwitch" Vergil said from his crouched position, taking out a piece of paper and a spray can "here we go."

As he sprayed the twins walked over with Militia holding her sister "what is that?"

"I'm currently doing a spell that would open a gateway into limbo so you can get out" he ripped the paper off and the moment he did a light started to emit from the archaic circle "one at a time starting with the injured first."

Melanie managed to limp over the circle and once she stood on it disappeared in a small show of light. The circle also disappeared and so he sprayed another one on the ground "next" Militia went through.

Vergil began to spray again when the place started to shift like an earthquake "hold that thought Verg" the way behind the group started to crumble "shit, Yang we gotta move, now!"

Yang, who was still trying an attempt at communicating with Ruby looked up and her eyes widened "damnit" she gave Ruby an apologetic look before she and Dante ran.

* * *

In the real world Vergil bit back a curse as he stood up "the demon must be on to us" he turned around "it let two of them get away, it won't make that mistake again. We'll need to go in there ourselves."

Glynda nodded before looking towards the students "you will accompany these two to the Bullhead waiting on top of the building"

Ruby's eyes widened "but-"

Glynda cut her off with a glare "you are already in enough problems as it is Miss Rose don't add any more. Mr. Sparda and I will retrieve Miss Xiao Long and his brother before meeting with you shortly."

"We may have found some valuable information regarding other possible locations of demons" Blake spoke.

"Yeah like a whole map of Vale with markers and everything" Sun added.

"Take that and anything else inside the safe, with demons nothing is as it seems" Vergil spoke and the pair complied "Nero you'll follow us and prep the spell in case we have to get Yang and professor Goodwitch out of there" he turned to the final pair "can I trust you two to bring the demon inside the bullhead?"

"Of Course" Weiss nodded curtly

"No problem" Neptune agreed.

"I'm going with you" Ruby said to Nero and Vergil.

"Miss Rose-" Glynda said threateningly.

"Its fine" Nero cut her off "just let her follow us, she won't be satisfied unless her sister is safe anyway" he shrugged.

Glynda glared hard at Nero who was completely unfazed, in fact he met her cold glare with a heated one.

Glynda huffed shortly after "very well but we will be having a long discussion on today's events"

Nero rolled his eyes "yeah, yeah whatever let's go already" he said before turning to leave the room.

Glynda's gaze became one of fury as she pointed her riding crop in his direction only for her shoulder to be gently grasped. For a moment she thought it was Ozpin himself before she turned around to gaze into the apologetic eyes of Vergil.

"I'm sorry for his behavior, he doesn't take well with authority figures or being ordered around by them. I'll have to have a talk with him."

Glynda sighed, really this boy reminded her of a younger Ozpin. He's been the only one to ever calm her enough not to do something irrational. There was James too but that was a long, long time ago.

"Please see to it that you do" she spoke before exiting as well.

* * *

Meanwhile in limbo Yang and Dante entered a room, this one didn't have any neon lights or platforms, the music sounded muffled and the ultra violet light revealed graffiti but with demonic symbols splattered on the wall.

" **Congratulations on making it this far"** the speakers sounded.

"Getting a little worried aren't you care bear?" Dante quipped.

" **Hardly"**

"Whatever, only a matter of time before we get up there and I get to watch my lovely lady friend rip you a new one"

To punctuate this Yang cracked her knuckles with a grin "such a gentleman" she found herself teasing despite everything.

A snarl could be heard over the speakers **"not if she's dead"** with that the room began to collapse under Yang's foot before it split apart.

Before she could even scream yang found herself being pulled and before she knew it she was being embraced by Dante on hand around her waist, the other shot Ophion to a ledge and pulled them out of the room. The moment they landed they separated

"Oh he must be desperate now" Dante grinned "probably used to people dying on him by now."

"Yeah-wait what's that supposed to mean?" Yang questioned.

"We're probably not the first to be dragged into limbo" he said walking into another room then suddenly looked up "scratch that we're _definitely_ not the first to get dragged into limbo"

Curious Yang went into the room and looked up and immediately gave an expression that was one part shock and one part disgust "what… is that?"

Above them was what looked a demon only it was unrecognizable, completely red with white eyes and seemed to be stuck to the wall. Another thing was that it was wailing….in agony if Yang got that right. Its voice sounded like a loud whisper that echoed.

"That..Yang is no, _was_ probably a person at one point" she turned to him to see his gaze hardened, all the cockiness and mirth gone "this is what happens to normal souls when they die in limbo. The demons torture their souls then hang it up around like decorations around the place. That poor schmuck must've been in the wrong place at the wrong time if he got stuck in limbo."

Yang's face paled wait didn't she unknowingly destroyed their club the last time she was here? Yang looked at the wailing soul _'did that mean I could've ended up like that?'_

The brawler had no illusions that she could survive this place alone with just Ember Celica, her admittedly above average combat skills and her Semblance. She didn't have an unlimited amount of Dust rounds for Ember Celica like Dante seemed to have with Ebony and Ivory. Her combat skills could only take her so far before she is overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies and her Semblance makes her stronger not invincible.

Plus with the sudden shifts in the environment she would eventually succumb to it all, whether through the number of demons, slipping up or exhaustion. Come to think of it how is it that Dante is completely fine after going through all this. She never saw him lose the laid attitude when he fought, hell she's never seen him take a hit, not once and she had the right mind to believe he didn't even break a sweat.

"What do we do?"

"Only thing we can" he jumped towards the tortured soul and with three swings from Rebellion the soul was cut open only she saw something go into Dante.

" _ **T.h..n… o…u~"**_

The ghostly whisper was enough for her to forget about what she thought she saw happen "you welcome" Dante answered before turning to Yang "let's go."

She complied but couldn't stop the question from escaping her lips "you killed him-er her, it? Whatever" she waved her hands briefly in frustration "why?"

"I'd like to think of it as releasing their souls but yeah I 'killed' it" he did air quotes "it was already dead anyway, the most I did was make the soul escape limbo" he looked to her " _he_ even thanked me for it before he left."

Yang looked at him incredulously before remembering that faint ghostly whisper _'it was saying thank you'_ she realized.

A moment later they went on to another set of platforms "we're close now" he commented.

Indeed they were, they were practically next to the giant DJ booth they looked on before going running forward like the headstrong people they were.

* * *

Meanwhile Nero, Vergil, Glynda and Ruby were having a hard time trying to find them "this is taking too long" Nero grumbled.

For once Glynda agreed, they had no idea where those two would go "where could they be going?"

"They'd be going for the demon"

"Then shouldn't we look for them downstairs?" Ruby questioned.

Vergil sighed "the closer we are to the demon the more the concentration of demonic energy is and it could disrupt the spell. Plus now the demon is aware of our presence, it could try to disrupt any further entry."

"Well we need to try anyway" Nero suggested "maybe you can catch them before and help them, Dante would be fine but" his gaze flickered to Ruby for a moment "I don't think Yang could keep up with him for long."

Vergil looked around "we need to find somewhere close to the booth in limbo to cut them off"

Ruby's scroll suddenly beeped "Weiss?"

On the other line Blake was looking at something through her glass "I found Yang and Dante, they're downstairs."

The group headed downstairs to see Weiss and Blake looking through the glass "where's Weiss Sun and Neptune?"

"In the bullhead looking after the twins and the demon" was Blake's reply.

Vergil prepped the spell as Glynda looked through the glass to see Dante and Yang fighting these flying little creatures with shields. Her eyes narrowed.

"Finish, professor Goodwitch if you'd please step on the circle.." she immediately complied.

The sensation she felt was of her body becoming weightless for a split second before she found herself in a completely different environment. The air was thicker, strobe lights assaulted her eyes in a red and black but the worst of it all was that Oum awful techno music these kids found so appealing.

Glynda cringed even as one of those shielded creatures threw what looked like a bomb towards Yang who was engaging a demon with a shield she was trying to break through. With a wave of her crop the bomb was redirected back to the demon where it blew its head off. She then stalked forward and pointed at the demon but found her Semblance ineffective.

' _Impossible'_ her eyes widened.

She had no time to think of this development as a demon wielding a chainsaw rushed at her, a purple glyph shielded her from the hit and again it was immune to her Semblance. Not a problem though, with another wave the glyph forcibly pushed it back. Then another glyph appeared between Yang and Dante's opponents, in fact a glyph appeared before every demon within her line of sight.

All the demons were then pulled/slammed together under one larger glyph and Glynda dropped her crop the same time the glyph slammed down on the bundle of demons and killed all of them.

Dante gave a long whistle "neat trick" he complimented "but you missed one" he pointed behind her.

Glynda turned sharply at the demon hovering above, how could she not have sensed it, then again whatever energy these things radiate seemed to have saturated the air. Right when the demon was about to attack it was suddenly split in half. There was a click beside her and she turned to find Vergil's hand lower from Yamato.

"Long time no see bro" Dante greeted.

Vergil sighed "why is it I'm not surprised you're the first one of us to be trapped in limbo."

He grinned "jealous?" Vergil gave him an unamused look "well I know Nero is"

"Screw you Dante" he heard the slightly echoed voice of said half demon.

Meanwhile Glynda's eyes caught sight of Yang slowly edging away "Miss Xiao Long"

"Eep" her lilac eyes widened as her body floated towards the bane of her existence. Once she was set down before the professor she plastered on a smile "p-professor Goodwitch…uh..what's up?"

If it was even possible her eyes narrowed even more menacingly "you have much to answer for young lady. Not only were you out past your curfew but you also tried to investigate matters that should not be of concern to you. Entered a less than reputable establishment and had yourself trapped in an alternate dimension" she paused "what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Huh.." she trailed off to give the twins, who paused to see her scolding, a pleading look.

Dante decided to bail her out "to be clear it was my fault we got dragged into limbo Prof so about going easy on her?"

"I will be addressing your transgressions later Mr. Spa-" her retort was cut off when Vergil appeared before her.

"Professor Goodwitch" he whispered "please do not say that name in this place" he looked around.

Seeing the seriousness in his eyes she gave a nod that would demand an explanation from him later on "I believe it's time we take our leave Miss Xiao Long"

Suddenly the platform shook and in the space Glynda could make out the words _'_ _ **NO ESCAPE', 'DIE',' KILL'.**_

a crack and shift signaled the neon bridge about to collapse "uh we should go" Yang spoke looking towards the end.

"We will do no such thing" Glynda said resolutely before the bridged that was about to fall suddenly stopped "mr- _Vergil_ " she corrected "tell Nero to make the spell, I won't be able to hold it off much longer" she grunted, this place was really testing her.

"Already on it" Nero sounded just as the ground emitted light, he was working on a second as he spoke.

' _ **WHORE'**_

Glynda's eye twitched as the word appeared directly in front of her in bold red neon.

"Go" Glynda said now slightly strained.

"But what about-" she looked to the twins.

"Ah we'll be fine, this ain't our first rodeo" he winked.

Yang hesitantly stepped onto the circle and soon after the weightlessness she found herself with additional weight in the form of her younger sister.

"Yang!" she squeezed tighter "what happened? How'd you get trapped in limbo? Are you alright? What was it like? Did you get a souvenir?" her sister rattled off.

"Easy, easy calm down Rubes" before she could say anymore Glynda appeared on a fresh circle Nero made.

She exhaled slowly, preventing that entire structure from collapsing took a bit of effort even for her. Glynda had half a mind to stay and assist them regardless of their familiarity with these things. She was dissuaded from that decision though, her first priority may have been to ensure _all_ of their safety but somehow Vergil managed to convince her otherwise.

"I believe you will have time to explain yourselves tonight…before the headmaster" suddenly reality came back to the siblings and they both gulped.

"We can't leave without Dante and Vergil" Yang supplied only to get a bark of laughter from Nero.

"You're worried about them? Please, Dante was already a freakin' force of nature by himself but with Vergil" he shook his head "I give them ten minutes tops to kill that demon and break out of limbo. Sooner if Dante makes a competition out of it" he placed the spray can and paper in the satchel "besides we should probably see if that demon is behaving himself."

Then it suddenly came to them Weiss Sun and Neptune were on the bullhead, alone…with a demon. Even Glynda mentally cursed as she stomped off along with the rest of RWBY and Nero.

"Aren't you going to wait for your…" she trailed off

"Brothers" he finished

"Oh" she nodded "you're not staying."

"Don't need to, we've done this so many times that it's not even a challenge anymore."

Yang heard that "exactly how many ties are we talking about?"

"I don't know, could be hundreds I think" he looked thoughtful "by the way you look like shit" he ignored the looks he got for openly using a curse word before Ruby and Glynda.

Yang looked down at her outfit, Aura protected her clothes from damage but she still had rips and tears. Her hair looked haggard and truthfully she looked like she'd been through the grinder.

Yang simply shrugged though "been fighting demons for Oum knows how long while avoiding death traps. I mean one time lava replaced some of floor tiles in the middle of a fight so I had to watch my step" she gestured to her burnt boots and don't get me started on the moving walls.

* * *

Inside the bullhead beady red eyes stared at the three teens and silently took pleasure in their obvious discomfort. Sun leaned next to Neptune whom Weiss shifted closer to

"I swear if he doesn't stop staring I'm going knock him out again.. _hard_ " the Faunus hissed.

Junior sat bound and gagged, he didn't struggle or move since he became conscious, in fact the only thing he did was to stare at his captors. The creepy thing about it was that he didn't blink or move, when one of them moved his eyes would roam them in short succession.

And right now it was Weiss' turn.

The heiress herself was leaning towards Sun's idea by the second, barbaric or not she didn't like to be stared at, not like that anyway. Why was he even doing it? Was this some kind of sick game to him?

The twins were further down the bullhead resting from their ordeal so asking their opinion wouldn't be of any help.

"I say we do it anyway" Neptune agreed and it was just then she noticed his hands were draped over her shoulders.

' _When did that happen?'_ she wondered but made no attempts to get out of it, that is until she heard Yang's voice then she made sure to part away so fast Neptune's hand hovered in place for a moment before it fell.

The Bluenette looked to her and she gave him a sideways glance before standing up just in time to greet everyone coming in.

"Yang" she began giving the girl a once over "you look haggard."

"Been fighting demons in a different dimension that wanted me dead" she deadpanned before her gaze shifted to Junior.

The demonic bar owner's expression went from neutral to shock "yeah that's right, I made it out" she sauntered over to him "and after my friend's finished with the bear" she leaned down with an absolutely feral grin "you're gonna tell us **everything** " her eyes flashed red as she reared her fist back "so, buh bye"

*WHACK* everyone except Glynda winced, even Nero had to admit that she threw a mean right hook.

Sun and Neptune who had gotten a wonderful view of her ass when she leaned over to talk to Junior had the dumbest expression on their faces.

"Damn" Sun whispered.

"What a woman" Neptune spoke in a hushed tone and they both nodded before turning their gaze left when the temperature around them suddenly dropped and a dark feeling encompassed them.

A pair of blue and amber eyes narrowed at them in disgust before being averted.

' _Crap'_ was their simultaneous thought.

Nero could only shake his head at them before he too looked left and met silver eyes. Ruby looked at Nero with an unreadable expression, or at least it would be to anyone who knew Ruby Rose for more than a few days. Her eyes shifted to Yang who finally stood upright and sauntered to a seat, then back to Nero.

Nero also looked and-his eyes lingered for but a moment before getting back to Ruby. Her gaze was no longer unreadable but slightly narrowed, she puffed her cheeks before stomping down to sit next to Weiss and Blake.

"What?" she didn't acknowledge him so he turned to the other two males "what?"

Despite the similar situation Sun and Neptune shook their heads in pity at him. Eventually he gave up with a frustrated yell while throwing his hands up.

"You know what? Whatever."

Glynda who had witnessed everything decided not to touch this situation with a ten foot pole and relocated to the cockpit. She didn't have the patience for teenage drama at the moment so their reprobation will have to wait.

They didn't have to wait for long since not 6 minutes afterwards Dante and Vergil walked in, not a single scratch on them.

"What'd we miss?" the red clad Nephilm questioned only to pause.

The tension in the air was palpable.

Weiss was obviously upset if the scowl, crossed legs and arms weren't a dead giveaway. She sat across from Neptune who was trying his best to keep his cool despite her icy glare. Blake, Vergil noted, looked upset about something and kept her head low. On the other side Sun looked as if he wanted to say something but kept it to himself.

The weirdest of all was Ruby who mimicked her partner's position while glaring (adorably) at Nero who tossed her confused yet aggravated looks.

"Seriously what is your problem?" he said for what must be the millionth time.

"I'm still not talking to you" was her reply

"You just did" he deadpanned and she turned with a Weiss-like hmph.

"What's this? A lovers quarrel I see" he grinned.

His reply was a simultaneous

Nero: Shut the hell up Dante!

Ruby: WHAT!?

Neptune: Uncool!

Weiss: Be quiet you!

Sun: Dude!

Blake: No!

The noise was loud enough to rouse Yang from her short nap "what's all the yelling about?" she said drowsily before her eyes landed on Dante and she lit up slightly "you're back?"

"Psh, of course I am" he approached while Vergil headed for the cockpit to inform Glynda of their arrival.

"So how was it?" she asked eagerly.

"I got in a hit for you" he leaned back with a contented sigh and not so subtly draped his hand around her "a punch through his giant head from you to it. Sorry you couldn't be there to see it."

She shrugged "meh what's done is done" she shrugged "besides you still showed me a good time" she leaned in closer giving a generous view of her cleavage.

"That I did" he let his head rest on the back of the Bullhead while she rested on his shoulders.

 _When did those two get together?_

"Ugh, get a room" Nero rolled his eyes.

"You're just jealous because I know how to treat a woman right"

"Yeah by fighting demons in limbo?" he raised an eyebrow as the door closed and the Bullhead edged off the ground.

Dante looked at Yang who cracked a single lilac eye before closing it with a content smile "she seems satisfied" he shrugged "can't say the same for Ruby though" his eyes glanced at Sun and Neptune "now how the hell did you guys manage to piss them off anyway?"

The room became silent so Yang opted to answer via whispered and Dante looked to each of them before he and Yang started laughing, hard. The boys, even Nero had the decency to look ashamed while the girls narrowed their gaze at the pair. No doubt if they had a time machine, they would journey back to prevent these two from ever meeting each other.

As if the day couldn't get any worse for Ruby, she would have to explain tonight's event before the headmaster himself.

' _This is going to be a long night'_ she lamented.

 _To Be continued_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Okay so I've been a bit curious about limbo in the game and the way how it is presented makes it seem very convenient. I mean it can essentially take on any shape and Dante even said it looked bigger when they went to the factory. Yet when they infiltrated the headquarters the space didn't shift and Dante could walk side by side with Kat so I gave a more in depth analysis of the place.**

 **Also sorry I didn't go in depth with what happened but seriously Vergil and Dante working together and to be clear where I place their strength is above DmC level but slightly weaker than DMC 3. I imagine this because I think a younger version of Dante and Vergil trained their whole lives by Sparda and Eva are going to be stronger than the classic counterparts who only had formal training in some forms of human combat which I'm guessing is self taught.**

 **It feels weird coming to this story after so long so tell me in the review if I've still got it, more curses because I was in a cursing mood**

 **Now then I've addressed the latest RWBY news up top so now we can get into more recent events. So did any of you guys watch the Dante vs. Beyonetta deathbattle? If not then WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? Open up a new tab go to youtube and watch that shit because it was freaking. EPIC now I won't spoil what happens but let's just say that the result actually surprised me.**

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 **You're still here?**

 **FLOCK OFF!**


	8. Angels, Maidens And Warriors

**Author's Notes: Well after the heart pounding actions of the last chapter I think it's time we take a minute to unwind with some good old fashion teen drama. By the way I took to using '\' to signal a scene transition instead of relying on fanfiction's line break.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Angels, Maidens and Warriors**

Cerulean eyes snapped open and he sat ramrod straight, sweating and panting. His eyes scanned the immediate area, for a moment he forgot where he was, who he was and what he was supposed to be doing. After a full minute he seemed to gather his bearings

He was in his room, _their_ room, JNPR's room.

He was Jaune Arc their leader

….and he was supposed to be getting ready for class.

He looked around, everyone was asleep, he looked at himself to find he was still wearing his school uniform minus the shoes.

Uh, weird-wait didn't he train with Pyrrha yesterday?

' _Come to think of it, what happened last night?'_

The most he remembered was that he tried asking Weiss to the dance…again and she turned him down… _again_. Then…Vergil came up to him and started asking him about his family and…his sword. Jaune's gaze shifted to Crocea Mors, hanging by his bedside, the simple sword and shield/sheathe had never looked very appealing to him, not like his friends' weapon anyway.

' _What was I doing?'_ he wondered taking his eyes off the ancestral weapon and to the clock _'5:43 am?'_

Jaune was never an early riser, even Ren woke up earlier than him most times, then again Nora might have something to do with it. Speaking of, it looks like she snuck into Ren's bed again.

' _They make a good couple'_ Jaune thought wistfully then sighed _'I wonder if snow angel and I would end up like that?'_ after remembering her latest rejection among the myriad of others he frowned dejectedly.

Another wistful sigh escaped his lips _'probably not. Especially with that 'cool guy' Neptune she likes so much'_ he frowned _'nah she just met him'_ he concluded.

Jaune would like to believe that love isn't that fickle, it has to be something more than just physical attraction and a few smooth lines. At least for him, sure Weiss looks angelic, beautiful, stunning and that might've been what caught his eye at first but there is definitely something more. He isn't a vain person, that, Jaune is sure of because if he was then he'd be fawning all over all his female friends.

Except for Ruby and Nora of course but despite their age and status, in their own way they are beautiful. Yet he doesn't, sure Yang is hot, like supermodel hot but he's not drooling at her feet. Blake's beautiful too but he has to admit they don't really talk…like at all ever. Ruby is cute and will no doubt be a looker once her maturity sets in but they're friends, best friends, pals, they hang out talk about weapons, comics or movies and being leaders of their teams.

Then there's Pyrrha…..

Nope, no matter how much he thinks about it, he just can't picture himself even measuring up to _that_ level… over 9000 indeed. Between not only being beautiful, but a multiple tournament champion, cereal mascot and good friend he wouldn't think of jeopardizing that for a relationship.

Hell no he's at least considerate..

Which brings us back to Weiss and at this his head hit the pillow as he stared at the ceiling _'how am I supposed to get through to her.'_

At this point he's beginning to wonder if it's a lost cause with pursuing Weiss. Obviously they got off on the wrong foot and she might've gotten the wrong image about him. So much for confidence

' _Thanks a lot dad'_

So he's been trying to put her opinion of him in a different light because Jaune Arc is not some playboy. Neptune fit that bill perfectly, yet that's the type of guy she responds to? The type that is obviously looking for a fling instead of commitment?

 _Not worthy…_

Damn right he's not worthy! A woman like Weiss deserves nothing but the utmost respect. It was just a glimpse but he's sure he's seen something behind that icy exterior she keeps putting on. It's there he knows and he's going to try his damn hardest to pull it out! Even though it annoys her, even though he would do anything for her yet she shuts him down with an icy gaze and an insult every single time.

Even though she would rather favor a womanizer over a guy who would pour his heart to her because she's beautiful, smart, wonderful and…and..

 _Foolish…_

He blinked _'what?'_ he looked around everyone was still sound asleep so he looked to the ceiling again.

Foolish? Weiss isn't dumb, heck she's one of the smartest girls in first year how is she foolish?

Well being attracted to that Neptune guy might not be a smart move for her but she's still

 _Childish…._

' _Childish, since when has Weiss been childish?'_

Then the memory of her fight with the Boarbatusk in Grimm Studies came to mind. Ruby confided that she was having trouble with her partner. Then he remembered when the headmaster announced Ruby as the leader. The glare she sent her way didn't go unnoticed by him but he didn't think much of it back then, too overwhelmed with his own leadership status.

' _Was, she disappointed with that?'_

He's never been one to pry into other people's business so he dismissed it but maybe he needs to pay more attention to what's going on around him.

His eyes closed _'so she may not be perfect. So what? Everyone has flaws doesn't change the fact that she's-_

 _A distraction_

Jaune's eyes snapped open and he slowly rose from the bed _'and I'm..'_ he trailed off

" _Above her.."_

Jaune's head whipped to the side to come face to face with Crocea Mors. There was no doubt that he _heard_ it that time, it wasn't just a tingle in his mind he _heard_ that voice whisper in his ears. He could actually _feel_ the sensation of _her_ warm breath on his ear when _she_ whispered to him.

But what does that have to do with Crocea…Mors

\

" _Oh, okay" he hesitantly made his way towards Vergil and grasped the weapon "uh thanks?"_

" _Don't thank me yet"_

 _\_

That was the last thing he remembered before something bright and then he woke up here..in his bed. He kept his eyes on Crocea Mors, whatever he did had something to do with his family heirloom and

' _What did he mean by "don't thank me yet"?'_ his brow furrowed.

The sun was barely peaking over the horizon and he looked back at the clock to find that it was 6:15 am. Class doesn't start for another two hours so he had maybe 30 minutes before the rest of his team woke up. Sliding his feet from under the covers he kept his eyes on Crocea Mors, eyes narrowing he tentatively reached for the weapon.

The moment his hands touched it he bit back a gasp as images began flooding his mind so fast he couldn't even identify them. All he could do was stare blankly as his body froze, his eyes glowing faintly with each passing second before finally they rolled to the back of his head and he fainted to the side of his bed.

\

Meanwhile three sets of eyes snapped open completely alert, Nero grabbed Blue Rose while Dante looked around the room. There was no denying that they _felt_ that and it made them anxious.

"Was that what I think it is?" Dante spoke looking to Vergil whose gaze was in a specific direction.

A smile curved its way onto his lips "I believe it was."

"What the hell was that?" Nero asked groggily.

"You actually sensed that?" Dante turned to the young half devil.

"Yeah well" he placed Blue Rose on the nightstand "I've been sensing a lot since this arm."

The twins shared a glance "how do you feel about what you just sensed Nero?" Vergil asked leaning forward with curiosity.

Nero shrugged "I dunno, didn't feel demonic but" his brow furrowed "I don't like it" he finally said before dozing off.

Vergil ran a hair through his head "this may be problematic"

"Why?" Dante asked "what'd you do?"

Vergil gave him a wry smile "that's none of your concern Dante"

The raven haired twin narrowed his eyes "I _know_ you Vergil. I know what you do when something get's your interest now tell me what you did."

"Just a project I'm working on" he said cryptically but Dante remained indignant so Vergil rolled his eyes "let's just say I don't believe that it was just _demons_ that crossed over from our world to Remnant" he left no room for a reply.

Dante blinked _'well shit I should've seen that coming'_ he said before going back to sleep.

\

Blake yawned as she got off her bed, damn internal clock, some things never change, a sad truth that, unfortunately, didn't apply to _most_ of the things in her life because everything is changing, from her to the White Fang to the world itself.

As if the existence of alternate worlds wasn't enough she just found out that the White Fang was teaming up with Roman Torchwick of all people.

Then to top off her long night they had to rescue her partner who got trapped in an alternate dimension fighting off hordes of actual _demons_. Demons that very likely have lived among them for Oum knows how long. Blake for once found herself stumped on what to do. After failing to apprehend Torchwick she was resolute into throwing herself into researching the White Fang and stopping their plans.

School and training be damned, the Fang was her responsibility and she would fix it!

Then she saw the demons, she saw limbo, she saw her partner fight demons in another dimension, she actually fought a demon herself and there are many more where that came from. And unlike the White Fang she can't see anyone making it out of this if they leave that problem alone, humans and Faunus alike.

Now what?

She can't very well just leave the Fang but at the same time she can't forget what she saw in that club, she can't. Then again she might not have to be involved, she trusted Vergil, it may sound dumb but she does and despite everything he's shown to be immensely reliable. He can sort out this demonic mess, if he needs assistance then she'll help as best as she can. For now she'll focus on the White Fang.

Blake stifled a yawn, she didn't get much sleep between the long hours and the court hearin-uh reprimanding by Glynda Goodwitch they managed to get out of this with only _four_ detentions and that was only because they found a demonic hideout and got a prisoner who could hold valuable secrets.

Her slender feet hit the ground _'no rest for the wicked'_ she thought going into the showers and afterwards straight to the library.

She had a lot of thinking to do.

\

Breakfast was a lively affair with RWBY, JNPR, DVN and S(SS)N, mostly because there would always be a story to tell. This time though Dante had the floor instead of Nora

"…and while the thing was down she ran up behind it and gave it one swift kick to ass..and it _exploded_. I shi-kid you not" he corrected glancing at Ruby.

"You mean to tell me" Nora began in an uncharacteristic whisper "you guys went on an awesome adventure fighting demons and you didn't take us with you!" she exclaimed slamming her hands down "this is an outrage!"

"Nora" Ren tried to placate.

"No, not this time Renny" she spared each of them a glare "they have betrayed our trust"

"If she's mad about that think we should tell her about that giant mech we fought?" Sun asked Blake who had her nose in her scroll reading a newspaper article.

"You fought a giant Mech!" Nora shouted "you traitors!"

Ren actually thought about this for moment before speaking "you mean you guys were the crazy kids fighting that stolen Atlesian Paladin on the highway?"

"Where'd you hear that?" Ruby questioned.

"On the 10 o'clock news."

There was a moment of silence before Ruby's head dropped to the table "dad's gonna kill me" she muttered before clinging to her partner "hold me Weiss!" she cried dramatically on her partner's shoulder.

"There, there" the heiress awkwardly patted the smaller girl.

Yang turned to Dante "you never told me how you killed that demon."

And with those words Dante had everyone's attention again "well after Verg and I finally got to it…"

Pyrrha tuned out the conversation a bit to turn to her partner. With all that has happened the night before no one seemed to notice his behavior. Jaune hasn't said a word since he got there, he didn't even try to flirt with Weiss (and she's still deciding if that's a good or bad thing), he didn't express any interest in their adventure even she found interesting.

He hasn't done or said _anything_ to anyone past the usual greetings and even then his usual smile looked forced. Even now he didn't look like he was even there; his eyes were vacant as he stared at his food. It honestly reminded her of the time Cardin was bullying him-wait could that be it? Was that bastard still going after him, even after everything that's happened!?

She frowned and was about to ask him a question when the bell sounded. Again Jaune didn't say anything, he just took up his tray, emptied it and walked presumably to class. His movements seemed normal enough yet there was a stiffness to them as if mechanical. Looking around she noticed none of their friends noticed his absence.

Then her eyes found Vergil who watched his retreating figure, his eyes caught hers and they stared for a moment before he averted his. Pyrrha's emerald eyes narrowed slightly, if she remembered correctly Vergil was the last person Jaune spoke to last night, the same night where he didn't make it to their training session and woke up acting different.

She would get to the bottom of this but for now she needed to make sure Jaune was alright.

Vergil watched as the redhead came out of the cafeteria and sighed _'I'll have to answer for that later I suppose'_

Sun and Neptune had to go to different classes but they made sure to try and get into Blake and Weiss' good graces before. It was evident however that Blake was too preoccupied with whatever she was reading to even give the monkey Faunus a proper attention. Neptune on the other hand was better received with Weiss because it was an honest to Oum lapse in judgment.

That was true on his part plus given Yang's unrepentant nature she probably did that on purpose if the teasing weren't enough of a clue then she opted to forgive him for his transgressions, but just this once.

\

Ozpin walked along with Glynda by his side for once he did not have a mug of coffee before him nor did his expression reflect his warm aloofness he often wore around his students and faculty. Glynda looked to the man with worry. For all the years she has worked with him she has never seen him like this in a very long time.

For this man walking beside her was not Ozpin the headmaster of Beacon, no this man was Ozpin decorated war hero and one of the most if not _the_ most powerful Huntsman on Remnant. It was no secret to any Huntsman and the few who have actually seen him fight, seen him truly serious would attest that he is not a man to trifle with.

Lately those legends have begun to wane with his inactiveness and she couldn't be gladder for it but now she could see it bubbling to the surface after so long. Glynda had known Ozpin not to be a man who can be angered easily. This demon though, the moment she saw him look at it she could _feel_ the anger radiating off his cold calculating gaze.

They reached the room housing the demon when he suddenly stopped "Glynda, I'll be here for a while so I am placing you temporarily in charge of the school until my return"

Glynda's eyes widened "sir?"

"I can handle things from here" he said with his back turned to her.

This was unprecedented, Ozpin has never taken her out of the loop, she knew he trusted her, she knew more about him than anyone. So why is she being disregarded now? Her brow furrowed, she did not like this one bit.

Glynda stepped forward "sir I insist-"

" _Glynda_ " his tone was the same but she could feel the edge in his voice, then he gave her an over the shoulder glance that made her joints lock up "please."

That one word managed to rouse emotions she thought buried when she adopted a strict persona. Her head was lowered as she took a cautious step back "a-as you wish, sir"

With that he went inside the room but Glynda lingered for a moment, she does not envy the demon facing Ozpin's ire.

Junior looked up as the doors opened and closed revealing Ozpin. Immediately that primal fear he felt from Dante crept upon him only doubled, no tripled. The headmaster left his cane by the door and took off his glasses all the while slowly approaching the demon who broke into a cold sweat.

"Now" Ozpin's voice sent a chill down his spine "you're going tell me _everything_ you know."

\

Melanie found herself looking up at white ceiling tiles when she opened her eyes instead of the usual black. She sat up and immediately regretted it, she felt like a truck slammed into her.

"Sis?"

Her eyes glanced left to find her sister by the bed "Militia. Where are we?" she asked looking around.

The red twin eased her sister into the bed "we're in the infirmary, at Beacon" she added.

"As in the school Beacon?" Militia nodded "why are we here?"

"After what happened yesterday" she trailed off.

The memories of yesterday hit her and her expression turned from shock to a scowl "what happened after we got out."

Militia shrugged "I don't know, you collapsed after we came out and after we went to the bullhead then I fell asleep too then I woke up here an hour ago."

"Did they tell you anything?" she shook her head "fuck" Melanie allowed her head to hit the pillow.

Her boss being some kind of demon aside, the twins were officially screwed. The Club was everything they had, they worked, ate, slept and lived there. Without it they literally have nothing, they'll be forced on the street and have to find jobs.

"Dammit"

This was the type of crap she was trying to avoid in the first place. Melanie could remember when everything started going wrong, it was when that blonde bitch came into the club and beat them up. Her jaw still hurt hours after that finishing kick she gave her.

"What do we do now?" she heard her sister ask.

"….I don't know" the white twin answered truthfully.

\

Once again the teams found themselves in another class but for four teens they just couldn't concentrate. Dante Nero and Pyrrha found themselves staring Jaune who was staring blankly at…something. The devil hunting brothers could tell there was something different about the blonde today and they literally felt _what_ it was.

Pyrrha was also worried for the blonde, Jaune was never so quiet he hadn't said anything, he didn't even try to sit beside Weiss or acknowledge her or anyone else's existence.

Meanwhile Jaune looked ahead but he wasn't looking _at_ what was before him, his brow furrowed. He couldn't stop thinking about what he saw this morning, he caught flashes of it ever so often and he's been trying to decipher them ever since. He also didn't hear the voice in his head anymore.

The bell then rang signaling lunch.

 _Find it._

His head perked up and he looked around _'what?'_

He did get a response but it wasn't from the voice "Jaune?"

He turned to see the concerned gaze of his partner "oh hey Pyrrha" he tried to smile but it came off as forced.

"Are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah, yeah I'm fine I…was just thinking about something.." he trailed off.

 _Find it_

"Are you sure?"

 _Find it._

"You hardly said anything this morning."

 _Listen._

Pyrrha paused when she saw his eyes gain a distant look "Jaune" she waved her hand before his face but it was when she snapped her fingers did he blink back.

"I'm sorry what?"

Pyrrha frowned "you know you can tell me if something's wrong right?" she said.

Jaune stared at her as if contemplating her words then his eyes drifted to the door for a moment "Jaune?" his head turned back and Pyrrha's gaze widened when his eyes flashed for second.

"I…uh..I" his head turned back to the door "I have to go" with that he packed his bag and _vaulted_ over the row of desks before heading out the door.

Everyone who witnessed this paused for a moment "what's wrong with fearless leader?"

Pyrrha turned to her other two teammates "I don't know" her gaze then shifted to Vergil who went outside, her eyes narrowed slightly "but I intend to find out" she headed for the door quite briskly.

Vergil was beside the door apparently waiting on her and before she could speak raised his hand "before you say anything I want you to follow me….alone."

Just then Ren and Nora came out and Pyrrha saw them and gained a contemplative expression before turning back to him "no, we're a team if there is something happening to our leader then we need to know."

Nora gasped "something's happening to Jaune-Jaune? Is it Cardin?" she smiled grimly "because if it is I'll break _both_ his legs" her smile seemed to widen, bordering on psychotic.

Vergil's eyebrows rose at this _'it's always the hyper ones.'_

"Alright but I'll trust you to keep this to yourself for the time being" he began walking while NPR followed.

"Does this have anything to do with the light coming from our room last night?" Ren questioned.

"Light?" Pyrrha gave him a quizzical look.

"You saw that?" Vergil chuckled "of course you'd notice it, there wasn't that much of a delay between it and when you arrived at the door" he mused "yes it has something to do with it."

"What happened between you two last night" Pyrrha said eyeing the Nephilm warily.

"We talked about his family's history and he showed me his weapon, Crocea Mors. It's a very interesting sword" he couldn't help the smile that formed.

\

Meanwhile for once Ruby wasn't nagging at Nero which was a welcome since Dante hid his headphones…again. Nero chanced a glance at the girl who was oddly quiet, in fact she was looking around as if trying to find something.

"You okay there Rubes?"

"Shh" the young girl shushed then paused, turning every which way "don't you guys here that?"

"What're you talking about?" Nero questioned.

"I don't hear anything?" Yang shrugged.

"What are you hearing?" Dante asked approaching the girl.

"Like someone singing" she said unsure.

Weiss looked to Blake whose bow twitched subtly "I don't hear anything either" she spoke.

"But I can hear it" her eyes widened "maybe if I get closer."

"Hold on a second" Dante blocked her way "what does it sound like?"

Ruby paused then her face scrunched in confusion "I don't know I can't pronounce-what is that? Na~ no, ne~ sa~"

"NI~ SHAA~ KO~ MA~ YAA~" Dante supplied.

"You can hear it too?" Ruby beamed "we should investigate" Dante however opted for a different solution and swung the girl on his shoulder "Dante~" she whined kicking and beating his back.

The Nephilm looked to Nero "you know what this means right?"

"Things just got even more complicated?"

"Exactly."

Weiss sighed "what's going on now?" after last night she shouldn't be surprised.

Dante grinned wildly "that ladies was Enochian"

"Okay and what is that?"

Nero frowned even as Ruby whined the further they got away from the 'song' "it's the language of the Angels."

Scratch that she could _still_ be surprised "what!?" she and Yang sounded.

"It makes sense when you think about it actually" Dante informed "when there are demons there are also angels. What Ruby is hearing is a siren call used by angels to find other angels. If left unchecked it'll attract anyone who has been 'blessed' with angelic magic."

Yang looked at her sister who was looking behind her as if in a trance "then that means."

"Either your sister has come into contact with or is in position of an angelic artifact, has been 'blessed' by or is a descendant of an Angel" Dante finished.

Weiss looked to her partner in shock and for a split second she saw her silver eyes flash.

Blake had a deadpanned look _'it's just been one day.'_

\

Ozpin tossed the napkin inside the garbage bin before his eyes widened and he looked in a specific direction _'it can't be'_ he grabbed his cane and left a broken Junior on the ground in a bloody mess.

\

Meanwhile Vergil and NPR weren't even hiding the fact they were following him but the Knight was so entranced he didn't notice a lot of things. For example that person obviously coming from that corner. Jaune bumped into someone, a girl from the sounds of it and immediately he paused when he caught sight of amber eyes.

Cinder glared at the boy who caught her off guard, a feat very few have managed to do let alone live to tell. She barely caught herself from performing an arm lock on reflex but took mild satisfaction from seeing his bewildered yet fearful expression.

She went to say something but was stopped by the sound of another voice "Miss Fall" her gaze switched to _him._

She managed to curl her lips into a convincing fake smile "Vergil"

"I'm sorry for my friend" he pushed the boy away "we called out to him and he didn't see you" he subtly pushed him away.

"Sorry" Jaune mumbled before being pushed away.

"Come on fearless leader" Nora said hauling him away.

"Sorry" Pyrrha supplied.

Cinder's eyes followed them for a moment "are you alright?"

Her gaze snapped back to Vergil who had a small smile and she couldn't be helped but feel agitated by it _'stay calm.'_

"I am fine, now if you'll excuse me" she went to go off in the same direction as JNPR.

"Actually I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" there was a slight octave change in her voice she hoped hadn't registered to the boy.

It had but Vergil didn't let it stop him "would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the dance this weekend?"

Cinder paused, her visible eye narrowing slightly. That was the one question she has been hearing when a boy gathers the courage to actually approach her. She could feel the disappointment, after the impression he gave during their first meeting she expected more.

Could it be that she was over thinking his bold gestures the first time they met?

Possibly, the truth was she still couldn't read him, this boy still remains an anomaly. She made good on her promise to investigate him but truthfully there was nothing _to_ investigate. The name Vergil Sparda doesn't exist, so that begs the question

' _Who is this boy?'_ and more importantly _what_ are his intentions.

Cinder gave a charming smile, like a queen would to her subject "I would be delighted" she spoke.

Vergil beamed at her like any man would if a woman of her stature blessed them with a date. Cinder wondered for a moment if she'd been had.

"Until then" he gave an eloquent slight bow and went in JNPR's direction

' _Vergil Sparda I will find out your secrets'_

Now that that is out of the way perhaps she can solve the mystery of that _infernal song_. Her eyes narrowed as she went to another direction.

Jaune was leading his team to the weapon's locker in silence. As it was lunch time the place hadn't a single person present which was good. Jaune placed his combination inside and opened the locker. It wasn't a trick of the light when his team saw the faint glow radiating off of the weapon.

Jaune reached for the sword and the moment he touched it there was a flood of light that caused everyone to wince Nora even going so far as to exclaim "Ah my eyes!"

That's where the complaints ended however as a new sensation enveloped them in waves. It was warm, comforting and to each of them the greatest feeling they'd ever experience times ten. Ren felt like he was meditating in a garden filled with lotus flowers, Nora was in a pancake emporium and Pyrrha..was meeting Jaune for the first time only he ignored Weiss instead of her.

Then just as it came it was gone, as if someone flipped a switch, Nora actually groaned in disappointment. Pyrrha was the first to notice Jaune on the ground when Vergil appeared out of nowhere.

"We need to take him to the infirmary" he advised "Ren" the boy nodded but when he tried to take the sword from his grasp Vergil stopped him "leave it" Ren looked to him "trust me, I'll explain it later on."

They slung an arm over each of their shoulder and carried him off, Vergil's eyes snapped in the direction of a locker space a few ways down and his eyes narrowed but continued on his way.

"I think they're gone"

The 'empty' passage way shifted to reveal Cinder Emerald and Mercury "okay what the hell was that?" the grey haired mercenary questioned.

"…I don't know" Emerald begrudgingly admitted.

They all experienced the euphoric sensation when the light washed over them and Cinder had no idea what it was. She looked at her palms, she'd never felt anything like that before in her life. It would also seem that that boy was also involved.

"By the way, was it just me or was that guy staring right at us?"

' _He was staring right at_ _ **me**_ _'_ Cinder's eyes narrowed.

"It's all in your head, no one can see through my illusions" Emerald defended with a scowl.

Whether or not he saw didn't matter "Emerald"

"Ma'am"

"Add him to the list and both of you, see what you can get from his team" she said resolutely before walking away "I want to know everything about my _date_ " her eyes glowed maliciously.

\

"It stopped" Ruby sighed.

"Hm-hmm"

"So uh, you can untie me now Blake"

The girl looked up from her book then to Dante who nodded "she isn't lying this time."

With a flick of her wrist Blake's ribbons loosened and retracted from the younger girl who pouted "that was mean Blake"

The Faunus looked unrepentant though even as Yang looked to Ruby as if seeing her for the first time "so~ angel huh?" she looked to Dante "I know dad always said she was his little angel-"

" _Yang~_ "

"-but I don't think he meant it literally."

"I don't sense any from her either" Dante admitted "then again I wasn't looking for one but the fact that she heard the sirens call means she's affiliated with angelic magic."

Ruby began eating "I don't feel any different though."

"That means the power is dormant and needs to be awakened."

"How do you do that?" Ruby perked with interest.

"Lots of ways" he shrugged "you can wait for it to manifest itself with time or you can drag it out. To do that you'll need to experience a strong emotion but that's not something you'd want."

Ruby pouted "why not"

"Intense psychological trauma" Nero began and turned to her "you'd have to see something so traumatic that it kicks starts the power."

"What he said" Dante agreed.

"Yeah I think she'll take a pass on that" Yang spoke with a furrowed brow.

"You guys talking about demons?" Sun's voice suddenly interrupted.

He and Neptune took a seat across from Blake and Weiss "not this time Sunny we're dealing with angels now."

"….dude it's been _one_ day since we fought off a demon."

Funny that's what Blake thought too.

Weiss spoke "ever since you three came here it's just been one thing after another"

Dante shrugged "eh, what can you do?"

"Maybe it's not a bad thing" Neptune suggested getting almost everyone's attention "I mean if they didn't come then we wouldn't know and if they suddenly decide to attack then…." He trailed off.

"We're screwed" Yang finished it anyway.

"Pretty much yeah" he sipped his drink.

"So Blake" Sun began.

' _Oh Oum'_ said girl cringed internally.

"What're you reading?"

She snapped the book shut "nothing" she said a bit forcefully before finishing her tuna sandwich "I have to go."

Dante and Neptune could only wince at Blake's brutal shutdown. Nero could sympathize with being annoyed by overly enthusiastic people. His gaze shifted to Ruby, who he'd realize now sat beside him, well Dante actually put her there since she was being lured by the siren's call but now..

"I have to go" similar to Blake he also left.

To Ruby's credit she didn't even make a sad face "see you later Nero" she waved happily.

 _Unfortunately she's right_ Nero frowned.

\

Melanie and Militia relegated themselves to just sit around until the former fully healed and they can sneak out when the infirmary doors were opened" The twins looked on as five people came through.

Two boys were carrying another by the arms while two girls trailed behind one of them they definitely recognized as Pyrrha Nikos and…..Dante?

Militia watched in muted astonishment as they dragged the blonde onto a bed, not even bothering to remove his weapon still clutched in his hand.

"Dante?" Militia questioned.

The boy looked to them and aside from his face looked nothing like the boy they saw yesterday. For one his hair was platinum blonde, neatly groomed and he carried himself in a more refined manner.

"You must be the Malachite twins" Monty even his voice sounded like melted butter compared to Dante "my name is Vergil I'm Dante's older twin brother."

' _Twin brother?'_ they both thought

Well that certainly explained it, though even they would admit it was a bit jarring seeing Vergil after meeting Dante. It was like looking at a distorted image really and despite being twins themselves, their differences aside from how they dress and hairstyle is a subtle change in demeanor. Vergil and Dante were like each other's antithesis in comparison rather than subtle opposites.

"H-hello" Militia greeted demurely

"Yeah hey" Melanie couldn't help but give him a once over "I'm Melanie her name's Miltiades but everyone calls her Militia."

Vergil nodded "how are you feeling?" he questioned coming closer.

"Fine" she answered.

\

Ozpin stood in his office, brown eyes staring out the glass frame. It was the view among other reasons why Ozpin chose to build a tower which no one seemed to frequently question the use of. Then again he'd built up a reputation for being a bit eccentric but that's neither here nor there.

He took out his scroll and tapped a few buttons and a moment later the face of James Ironwood came on screen.

" _Ozpin?"_

"James I need you to meet me at the tower"

" _Did something happen?"_

"Yes, I have chosen my champion"

The general's eyes widened _"well, that was fast. May I ask why you've pushed your decision?"_

"I have recently come across some information that has forced my hand, information that I cannot say over the scrolls."

"… _.I'm on my way."_

The screen went blank soon after and Ozpin released a sigh.

\

Classes went on afterwards as normal with the absence of the blonde Arc. There were questions of course but no one not even Nora spoke of what they learned from Vergil. The same went for the other party who had not got around to explaining Ruby's possible connection to a certain species.

By the end of the final class both Vergil and Dante had a reason to go to Ozpin. What they weren't expecting was to be called there along with Nero and…Pyrrha Nikos? The redhead was just as confused by this.

"I wonder what the headmaster wants" she asked curiously and a little frustrated, she wanted to check up on her partner for a bit but Glynda was very insistent.

Just as Dante was insistent Ruby also join them, at first Glynda hesitated but once Ozpin allowed it they were all on their way to his office.

The six entered the office and to their shock found General Ironwood in the room "what's _he_ doing here?" Nero gruffly questioned.

"I invited James here because he can be trusted" Ozpin spoke calmly before turning his attention to James "just as how _they_ can be trusted."

James nodded before walking towards them "I know I may not have given the best first impressions but you must understand when faced with an anomaly one must deal with it under the highest scrutiny."

Before either of his brothers could retort Vergil step forward "I understand, you were suspicious and you took precautions" he held his hand out "I would've done the same thing if the roles were reversed."

James shook his hand already taking a liking to the boy, he was logical and practical unlike some who let their personal feelings cloud their judgment.

"So that's it?" Dante questioned.

"Yes Dante" Vergil sighed "we're all on the same side so there's no time for bickering."

The raven haired boy nodded when James spoke "Ozpin has also briefed me on your _circumstances_ and the events of last night."

Now this was a shock to the teens, though not much for the twins

"I see."

"No kidding."

"So you know we're not human or Faunus."

"I do and I've also had the opportunity of viewing the…prisoner" his eyes narrowed.

They could see the disdain he had on his face and now they knew for sure they had an ally in the Atlesian general.

"We can discuss that later" Ozpin interrupted "now I believe miss Nikos would like to know why she's here."

The redhead nodded "then please, have a seat you as well Miss Rose."

"Um, okay" the young girl mumbled before sitting.

"Hey what about us?" Dante complained.

"You will have to stand on the sidelines until Ozpin finishes." James informed "what he has to say is important to both of them."

Both girls looked nervously at Ozpin as he spoke whilst reclining in his chair "now tell me ladies, what is your favorite fairytale?"

\

The door closed behind her and Cinder made sure to lock it. She had accosted the use of the bathroom the moment they arrived at the guest dorms to be used by the students. She wouldn't normally do this, after all _she_ gave her free reign on this mission.

Cinder didn't have a choice though, whatever the light was surely wasn't a Semblance, it felt similar to when she took Amber's Maiden powers.

' _No other choice'_ she sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor and closed her eyes.

\

It only took but a moment for small the feeling of fear and anxiety to tell her that she had been successful. Her eyes opened to view the dark expanse; it was always dark in this place. There was no sign of any life and the shattered moon was obscured by some clouds. Cinder paid no mind as she was addressed by the figure whose back was turned to her.

" **Cinder"** her voice sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

"Mistress" she greeted while keeping her head down.

" **I gave explicit instructions that you are not to contact me, especially now that you've made it into Beacon."**

Cinder swallowed lightly, she had always had that affect on her but for the sake of keeping her dignity she maintained her composure "I am aware however I am experiencing difficulties, there are three new students who-"

" **I am well aware of their presence Cinder"** she cut off **"they had dispatched the horde sent to bolster the ranks at Mountain Glenn."**

Cinder's eyes widened in shock, she knew better than second guess her but she just had to clarify "the _entire_ horde."

Salem chuckled humorlessly as she looked over her shoulders **"indeed"** her red eyes bore into Cinder's amber ones but just as she looked to returned her gaze to survey the expanse **"imagine my surprise when the veritable army had been** _ **easily**_ **destroyed by three adolescents"** she paused **"without a single scratch to their person or any visible efforts on their part or any resulting casualties to the village of Faunus they were protecting"**

"That's…"

" **Impossible? Inconceivable?"** she stated in an amused tone **"I assure you Cinder it is very much true. I witnessed it myself, all of it and have come to a conclusion."** Cinder could actually picture her frown when she spoke **"they weren't showing their true powers."**

She turned fully to gauge her reaction, her gaze remain calm **"I can imagine you would be hard pressed to fight them even with the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers"**

Now Cinder allowed _some_ of her surprise to leak through "they are that powerful?"

Salem closed her eyes **"that remains to be seen, though I would proceed on the side of caution"** her eyes opened but were narrowed **"especially-"** she suddenly stopped much to her confusion.

Salem however didn't even have her eyes on her anymore she was looking _beyond_ her. That's when another voice made itself known.

" _ **Oh no don't mind me love, do continue."**_

Cinder was about to turn around but when two hands landed on her shoulder she froze _**"well what do we have here?"**_ he began to message her shoulders and cinder fought the urge to melt in his touch _**"how are you my little Cinder~?"**_ he whispered in her ears.

Before she could moan out a reply Salem spoke **"you are late."**

" _ **Well I have been rather busy love"**_ he said nonchalantly _**"not all of us can stay in such a dreary place all day and besides I like to do a more hands on approach"**_

Salem glared at him, an action that would make most men wither and die however the man simply chuckled and released Cinder from his tantalizing hold.

" _ **Are there problems on your side?"**_

" **There has been some"** she paused to consider her words **"** _ **complications**_ **yes."**

He walked forward _**"I could tell"**_ he said though there was a certain darkness to his mirth now _**"I haven't felt**_ _ **that**_ _ **particular power in a long while"**_ he turned to Cinder _**"tell me dear you spoke of three individuals, what are their names?"**_

Said girl released a calming breath "their names are Nero, Dante and Vergil Sparda-" Cinder cut herself off at the expression he showed at the mention of that name.

Cinder swallowed lightly, in terms of immediate personality he was the polar opposite of Salem. While the Grimm queen carried herself regally like a queen should, he acted more like an irresponsible rich playboy. He was always smiling, belittling, in a way he was like Roman in that aspect and just like Roman he was dangerous in his own right.

If not for the fact that he could get away with speaking to Salem like he would any other woman then for the fact that like her he wielded tremendous power. He didn't show it though, unlike Salem or even herself he didn't need to show his power to prove his superiority. Salem has already known at some point before she met her and Cinder knew because her mistress tolerated him.

That is why she was so shocked when for the first time in her life did he reveal it, he broke the façade to show his true colors if only for a brief moment. It may have been because the situation was so fresh for her that in a way she felt that he was even more dangerous than the Grimm queen herself.

" _ **So it seems my first assumptions were correct"**_ he sighed _**"and it appears one of my establishments was attacked last night. I suppose it doesn't matter"**_ he turned to Salem and did an eloquent bow _**"I sincerely apologize"**_

" **You know those boys?"**

" _ **You can say that"**_ his mirth returned as if it never left.

" **I take it you will be offering your assistance."**

" _ **Of course, this is a personal matter after all"**_ he smiled unnervingly before directing his attention to Cinder _**"I will send some people to aid you but until they arrive do your best not to antagonize them"**_ he reached and touched her cheek _**"I've grown quite fond of you Cinder and I would hate to see you die"**_ his tone was still playful but with a serious undertone.

" **If that is all begone Cinder."** Salem dismissed

She didn't need to be told twice

\

Cinder gasped as her eyes snapped open and she panted, she had always been wary of him. Her mistress Salem had always had a presence that demanded respect and fear however that man had always had the air of someone you could let your guard down around. His unnatural charisma made people adore him and on more than one occasion she had been tempted to let her guard down.

She touched her shoulder, although he wasn't touching her actual body she could still feel all the sensations. Cinder's eyes smoldered as she burned through her uniform and stepped into the shower.

\

Pyrrha was shocked and so was Ruby as for team DVN.

Vergil wordlessly opened his palm and Dante and Nero grumbled before throwing a few bills of Lien in his hand.

"A pleasure doing business gentlemen" he said counting his new profits. The Nephilm pocketed the money and turned to see both Glynda and James looking at him.

But before he could speak Ozpin beat him to it "it seems you three were aware of the nature of this conversation beforehand."

"That depends" Dante spoke and narrowed his eyes suspiciously "did you also hear the Enochian song?"

Ozpin's eyebrow raised "Enochian?"

Vergil stepped forward "it's the language of the angels" he began getting both of Ozpin's brows as well as James and Glynda's to rise "if I'm to understand what you said is true then it would appear that these Maidens and Silver Eyed Warriors are this worlds versions of Angels..or angelic warriors anyway." He added as an afterthought.

"How can you be sure?" James questioned.

"That song was a result of me applying angelic magic to a weapon, which actually turned out to be an ancient holy weapon/angel arm if you will. It was acting as a Beacon to draw anything that has been touched by angelic magic. Obviously with myself and Dante's status as half angels we heard the call and so did Ruby."

This piqued Ozpin's interest "whose weapon was this?"

Everyone's attention was now on Vergil with thick curiosity "Jaune Arc….I think he may be the descendant an angel..an angel from our world."

"Wait, then wouldn't that mean the entire Arc family are angels as well" Glynda wondered aloud.

Vergil shook his head "it's not that simple, in our world an angels true source of power are their wings unlike demons. They are not easily destroyed but they can be severed and when that happens, the angel loses the bulk of their power and basically becomes an above average human. With time those special attributes become diluted through the generations to the point where they actually become human just as the case with Jaune."

"You say he became human" James began "yet you claim he is an angel, explain."

"This is what usually happens in my world, however there's one thing the humans of Remnant have that the ones of earth don't."

"…Aura" Ozpin realized.

Vergil nodded "I could actually feel trace amounts of angelic power coming from Jaune. Naturally I wanted to investigate so I spent some time with him."

' _So that's why'_ Pyrrha realized.

"What I discovered was that something was slowly pouring angelic power into him while using his Aura as a conduit. It's probably how so many of his ancestors were renowned heroes of their generations, though they never live long enough to receive the full benefits. The process could take decades if left naturally."

"Angels can't resist destroying evil and doing 'good'" Dante commented while rolling his eyes "remember the last time we met an angel?"

Nero scoffed "ugh don't even remind me" his eyes veered to the side.

James and Glynda shared a look before the man coughed "we're getting off topic. So you discovered this and..?"

"I merely applied my own angelic powers to speed up the process."

Pyrrha's eyes widened "so what's happening to him?"

"Jaune Arc is becoming an angel."

Dante grinned "an-"

""Arc Angel"" Nero and Vergil finished.

"Yes we know brother" Vergil sighed.

"Like we didn't see _that_ coming a mile away" Nero grumbled.

"…tch, assholes"

Ozpin had a pensive expression "you said that you apply magic to an holy weapon, am I correct in assuming it is Crocea Mors?"

"Yes, apparently that is the weapon the angel used its wings to create when they severed it for whatever reason."

"Um excuse me" Ruby spoke up for the first time "but what's going to happen to Jaune now?"

"He'll be comatose for an undetermined period of time so his body can adapt to the changes that will be made to him" he answered "when he wakes up I want to help him adapt to his new changes."

Before James could even object Ozpin stood "I understand, now if you'll follow me"

\

"…so does that like happen often" Melanie questioned.

"Nope"

Right now Ren and Nora were currently in infirmary paying their leader a visit and had struck up a conversation with the Malachite twins. Well Nora did anyway and that's when Crocea Mors started glowing. It wasn't a bright glow but noticeable enough to garner their attention. Before they could act upon anything Ren drew the curtain back so as to avoid any unwanted attention and drew the sheets to cover the sword for extra precaution.

At the same time Nora's stomach growled "I'm hungry" she whined before smiling "I wonder what the cafeteria is serving for dinner!"

Dinner sounded very appealing to them at the moment and it just occurred to the twins that the food they served at the hospital wasn't that good.

"Hold on we're coming too" Melanie spoke getting out of the bed.

"Are you sure?" Ren asked.

"I've been stuck in bed all day. All I want to do is get something to eat then get the hell out of here."

It's only been one day since they got here and she could tell that there is more craziness to come and when it does she doesn't want her or her sister anywhere near it.

"Where are our clothes?"

Militia fidgeted "um about that.."

"What?"

"Our clothes got trashed in the fight last night-"

' _I wouldn't call that a fight'_

"-so the headmaster gave us some new clothes"

Melanie paused and warily asked " _what_ new clothes?"

Nora, Ren and the twins all stepped through the infirmary doors in the beacon school outfit. Melanie was less than pleased they replaced their clothes and even more so they confiscated her weapon/favorite pair of heels. This would make leaving even more troublesome because they would have to see a teacher or go to Ozpin himself.

Her sea green eyes narrowed in suspicion at the thought of seeing the grey haired headmaster. She'd dealt enough business on Junior's behalf to know a setup when she saw one. Oh she can see it now, what the old man might think

 _Two misguided teenage girls with exceptional combat skills, working at a Night Club of all places?_

Melanie bit back a scoff, it's not that she and her sister couldn't enroll in a combat school and become Huntresses it's just that they chose not to. They may have had a harsh life but with their level of skill they could've gone on one of the many scholarships they give out to kids with talent but no money.

They hadn't enrolled to become future Huntresses for the pure and simple fact that they didn't want to. They lived in poverty but at least they were alive, unlike 99% of kids their age they weren't bought by the propaganda the council advertises about Hunters. Not to mention the prospect of risking their lives to fight against monsters wasn't appealing.

They weren't cowards, no far from it but just because they could fight didn't mean they wanted to risk their lives for a lost cause. Lost in that the Grimm have been their long before they were born and will definitely be their long after they die.

And you can bet the twins planned on living a relatively long life.

While Melanie brooded over how to turn down Ozpin's future proposal Militia couldn't help but notice the stares they were getting, mostly from the men as if they've never seen twins before. Militia wasn't like her sister, actually she was almost polar opposite in terms of attitude and unlike her she didn't handle being stared at well. Following her sister's lead she gave each and every one of them a glare befitting someone whose worked alongside criminals for years.

The effects were instantaneous and the various students suddenly found anywhere else interesting. Militia couldn't help the small smile that appeared at her accomplishment, her sister would've been proud. If only she could stop brooding and pay attention but whatever.

At least nothing could sour her mood any further.

The moment they entered the cafeteria they saw the bane of their existed, the one responsible for all their misfortunes ever since she strutted into Junior's Club a few months back.

"You!"

\

' _This is really awkward'_ Ruby thought _'and uncomfortable'_

Right now she and everyone else were crammed into an elevator which was obviously not meant to carry eight people.

"Well this could be worse" Dante piped "at least you didn't put in some lame elevator music"

"That would be hell" Nero commented.

The doors finally opened and everyone walked out first, though Pyrrha looked uncomfortable, a nudge from Ruby and a comforting smile made her go.

"You know I always wondered why you needed an entire tower for yourself instead of just a building" Dante spoke as he surveyed the grounds "wow you really are just like the wizard"

Ozpin turned with a raised eyebrow "am I?"

"Oh yeah, see in the show the wizard disguised himself as some other worldly being to trick the heroine into believing it when he's actually just some normal guy hiding behind the curtains."

Ozpin kept his gaze on Dante a second longer before turning "I see"

Vergil narrowed his eyes at him but Nero beat him to the punch "I thought he was just some pompous prick" his voice was nonchalant.

Pyrrha and Ruby threw the young half devil scandalized gazes, how could he just disrespect the headmaster like that?

James couldn't help but raise an amused brow, he would have been indignant but it's rare to find someone blatantly disrespect Ozpin of all people like this, especially coming from an ally and a child at that. The freshness of the experience outweighed the insult to his friend and it also speaks that the young man wasn't afraid to question authority.

Contrary to what some would believe about general Ironwood, he could see the necessity of individuals like Nero, Dante and even Qrow. The rebels, who would go into action independent of any political agenda or orders for the simple fact that it gets the job done in the end. He may not support it or like it but he'd be willing to compromise.

Plus having someone who isn't under Ozpin's influence yet against the enemy could serve useful in its own way. The man may be wise but he's still a man and even he is prone to the same mistake even though it happens rarely.

Glynda managed to bit back a stern reprimand only for the simple fact that she knew it would not make a difference. For all intents and purposes Nero is completely unaffected by her words, in fact the only reaction she managed to get out of him would be his growing annoyance and if she were to use her Semblance then there was no doubt he would take it as a challenge, a declaration of war.

While Glynda is positive she could overpower the young man, she could admit he was skilled. Like licensed Huntsman kind of skilled and she wasn't too keen on having a full scale battle on school grounds.

"Watch your tone young man" she warned.

Nero clicked his tongue but said nothing and Glynda raised an eyebrow. No verbal retort, no teenage rebelliousness, could she actually be wearing him down?

Before she could properly contemplate this Pyrrha came close to her as she was the nearest "you said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?"

At this Glynda adopted a softer expression than even her lecturing mode "the Maidens have existed for thousands of years, no two are alike. When a Maiden dies her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host ensuring the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto the power forever."

"So how does the power choose?"

"Before, we understood that the power is specifically passed on to young women but as time went on it was discovered that the selection process was much more….intimate"

"Intimate?"

"As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies the one who is in her final thoughts is the one who will inherit her powers."

"What if it's not a young girl?" Vergil queried.

"Then the power randomly selects a candidate who meets the requirements"

"Why are you telling me- us- this now?"

"Yeah" Ruby piped up a bit nervously "I mean why did you let _us_ down here?"

As if being told she and her deceased mother were descendants of ancient warriors weren't enough she was being dragged into some heavy stuff she knew no one else should even know about.

"Because Miss Rose, we have less time than I originally thought" Ozpin spoke "there is a war coming and I fear we may have underestimated our opponents. The ones working in the shadows to bring about our destruction" his voice was grave "there is simply no more time for secrets and manipulations."

James continued "for years we have worked in the shadows to protect Remnant itself from the forces of darkness, however with your arrival, some startling information has come to light that has forced our hand." The Atlas General looked over his shoulders "and I fear _we_ may not be enough to stop what's coming."

"So you're including us, even your students in your group despite their age and inexperience" Dante summed it up.

"In a nutshell, yes" Ozpin agreed.

Ruby still didn't know about this and neither did Pyrrha, they hadn't even been to Beacon a full year yet.

"Does it have to do with them being associated with us?" Nero questioned.

Ozpin sighed "not necessarily" his tone was wistful "truth be told I've had my eye on the members of both your teams for quite some time especially the both of you. Miss Rose like your mother bore the Silver eyes so she would be a great warrior. I also knew that just like her you would have been a target and advocated for your early enrollment into Beacon."

Ruby's eyes widened "w-what did you mean a target like my mom?"

James was the one to answer "there's a reason why the Silver eyed warriors have faded into legend. It wasn't until recently that we learned that many reported cases throughout recent history have stated that they have disappeared under strange circumstances."

"Y-you mean.."

"I was unable to save your mother in time" Ozpin spoke somberly "Qrow took her disappearance especially hard, he spends most of his time outside the Kingdoms gathering intelligence"

"Uncle Qrow's a part of this?"

"Yes Qrow is" Glynda informed.

"I-I" Ruby couldn't form the words to speak, it was too much information to process, she just- a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Hey" Ruby turned to meet the grey-blue eyes of Nero and though his expression was set in a frown, his hand was oddly comforting.

She didn't even realize they'd stopped with everyone moving forward until Dante spoke "you guys going to stare longingly into each other's eyes all day or are you coming?"

The attempt to lighten the mood/embarrass them didn't seem to work- on both counts. Nero gave Dante a glare and Ruby was too shell shocked to _be_ embarrassed.

"No we're heading back" he steered the red themed girl around "I think she's had enough happen to her for the day and frankly I could care less about any of this stuff" he was practically directing Ruby at this point but the girl made no moves of protest or _any_ reaction at all.

The others looked on, the twins knew he was lying but let it go since they and everyone came to the same conclusion Nero did concerning Ruby. The girl could only take so much happening at a time. Pyrrha wished she could join them, feeling more, nervous and tense by the minute. She caught sight of Dante who offered her a smile.

It didn't ease her tension as much as one of Jaune's smile but she returned the smile and straightened some before continuing their trek. They came upon a machine of sorts with two pods and one of them had a body in it.

"Who's that?"

"The current Fall Maiden, Amber"

\

Both teens walked back the way they came, one of them had a pensive expression on her face while the other was frowning.

Nero's eyes glanced at the red hooded girl "you're not okay" he spoke.

Ruby snapped out of her trance "uh what"

"You're overwhelmed, too much information right?"

Ruby blinked, twice before slumping dejectedly "..yeah"

They walked into the elevator "well I don't know about you" he pressed the button "but I'm starving."

A few minutes later the duo walked to cafeteria but just as they were in voice the door opened and a disheveled Blake Belladonna came out "Blake?"

The girl spared her a glance "if you're going for dinner you can forget it, the food's all gone" on account that she's currently wearing it

The younger teens shared a glance before the leader spoke again "what happened?"

Blake's frown deepened "your sister started _another_ food fight with those twins we rescued last night" with her peace said Blake stomped off angrily to spend the next hour getting the various foodstuffs out of her hair.

So they were having another food fight

A crash alerted them to the doors as a body flew through the doors. It was Sky Lark, covered from head to toe in melon bits.

The boy weakly reached out to them "sa..ve… your…selves" the boy then went unconscious.

Both teens stared blankly at him before Nero spoke "I've got some snacks in my dorm, wanna come with?"

Ruby nodded and they both walked away from the scene of carnage.

 _To Be continued_

* * *

 **Author's notes: wow covered a lot of things this chapter, in fact I pretty much noticed the short time frame I there is with this. I've actually begun to question whether the pacing is too quick. I mean at this rate I don't see this story going past 30 chapters. Then again with how much words each chapter has it would be really tedious and downright weird to have over thirty chapters.**

 **Also imagine the mysterious man's voice to have a British accent. Next chapter is all about The Dance** **and further revelations.**

 **Anyway review and tell me what you think of this one.**


	9. One Of Those Days

**Author's Notes: Hmm it has come to my attention that, I was right in assuming things were moving a bit too fast. As such this chapter will be comprised of mostly teenage drama and romance. By the way this is part 1 of a two part filler arc focusing more on character development, interactions and romance/drama than actual story progression. Just to warn you.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: One Of** _ **Those**_ **Days**

" _Where am I? (am I)" his voice echoed in the pure sky blue void "hello (hello)"_

 _Jaune didn't know what happened or how he got there. The last thing he remembered was searching for Crocea Mors though when he really thought about it he was being lured to it by that song. He remembered touching his sword, a bright light and ending up here._

 _Speaking of- he checked himself to see he was in his combat attire but no Crocea Mors. That was ironic, he didn't remember changing clothes yet he didn't have what he remembered having._

 _Weird._

' _Well I can't just stand here all day' he figured before walking._

 _He couldn't tell directions in this place, there was no sky, no ground, left or right was synonymous. After a few minutes he stopped looked back and saw his foot prints slowly disappearing._

" _Seriously where am I?"_

" _Your inner world"_

 _Jaune froze before spinning around to gaze at_ _her_ _. The fair skinned, long haired, majestic looking beauty in the white sun dress. She smiled disarmingly at him and Jaune's jaw dropped._

" _Hello there"_

" _Hi" he awkwardly greeted._

 _She gazed at him intently and Jaune began to feel very self conscious. Not nervous at having a beauty stare at him but wary. He didn't know where he was and then this unknown girl showed up….its weird._

" _Um, who are you?"_

 _The girl blinked and cupped her chin_ _"you don't know who I am?"_ _she mumbled_ _"we've been together ever since you started Beacon"_

" _We have?" if he's 'been together' with someone who looked like her he's pretty sure he wouldn't have approached Weiss._

 _The girl nodded_ _"yes although you didn't really know how to use me. Not like your father…or anyone who first took me up in the past. Well not anyone your age anyway."_ _she sighed_

 _Wait what?_

 _She cupped her chin in thought_ _"but maybe that's why your soul was compatible"_

" _Whoa okay slow down" she looked at him "I am completely lost here. Who are you and what are you talking about."_

 _The girl frowned "you really don't know" she realized before bonking her head "of course he wouldn't know" she looked at him "come on Jaune you remember, we used to play together when you were younger."_

 _Jaune looked to be trying to remember before eventually saying "nope I'd remember someone like you."_

" _..okay I see what the problem is"_ _she scratched her head_ _"remember when you got in trouble for sledding down the stairs?"_

 _As a matter of fact he did, it was when his father put down Crocea Mors and he found out how to expand the sheath into a shield. He used it as a makeshift sled on the stairs, it was fun…for all of five seconds before he crashed into the wall._

" _Wait how did you know that?"_

 _She smiled_ _"that's when we first met."_

 _Jaune blinked now he remembered that day and aside from him, his mother and his father there wasn't another person._

" _Who says I'm a person"_ _she tilted her head._

 _That's a weird thing to say, if she's not a person then what could she be?_

 _At this point she was looking at him expectantly and his eyes widened "it couldn't be."_

" _Yes~"_

" _you are.."_

 _She nodded and wound her hand_ _"go on"_

"… _."_

"… _."_

"… _.nope sorry can't remember you"_

 _She did a comical face fault before getting back up_ _"seriously!? I mean really, you don't recognize your_ _ **weapon**_ _when she's staring you in the_ _ **face**_ _!?"_

" _Weapon?"_

 _She sighed_ _"forget it."_

" _Wait a minute."_

" _If you don't recognize me then maybe this was a mistake"_ _she said sadly before turning away._

" _Crocea Mors?"_

 _She paused and turned around before smiling sadly_ _"this isn't how I imagined my first meeting with my wielder to be"_ _she admitted._

" _Wha- I mean how.."_

" _I always imagined it to be…_ _ **more**_ " _she turned completely to look at him_ _"do you have any idea how long, how many times I've been trying to contact you and your predecessors. Every, single minute of every single time I was held. Yet it was never enough, try as I might I was never strong enough, my power was limited and there was always something missing. Then that boy, Vergil gave me that power."_

"… _the light"_

 _She nodded_ _"yes and I used that power to call to you and now that you're here, you don't even know me"_ _she gave a wry smile_ _"then again you were never really satisfied with_ _ **me**_ _were you?"_ _her tone turned accusatory._

" _I-"_

 _She held her hand up_ _"save it, I may not be much Jaune, not compared to the weapons of today after all my design was to be simple yet effective. I may not have an inbuilt gun but my blade never dulls, I never lose my shine. I may not have complex mechashift but my shield is nigh indestructible."_

 _She approached him_ _"but I know all of that is lost on you. You don't see what you've had, you've only seen what you could have."_ _she scowled_ _"a 'hand-me-down' am I?"_

 _*Slap*_

 _Jaune fell to his rear grabbing his now bruised cheek. She raised her hand to the side and a door appeared._

" _There's the door, don't hit your head on the way out"_ _with those terse words she turned and started walking away._

 _Jaune could only blink 'what the heck just happened?'_

 _She called herself a weapon, yet that conversation ended up like so many times he tried to flirt with girls in the past. Not even bothering to look t the door he ran after the girl_

" _Crocea wait!"_

\

Pyrrha turned restlessly on her bed, she looked at the time _'3:23 am'_ she frowned.

It had been getting harder to sleep a lot lately, the anxiety was just too much. It was funny, she was used to being under pressure by high stakes before or at least what she was _told_ were high stakes. After all, the fate of her winning streak, sponsorship and livelihood all hinged on her winning tournaments.

Oh how naïve she had been.

This, what the Headmaster had told her was true high stakes and boy was she feeling the pressure. It was to the point where it began to affect her performance in school as of late and her overall mood. Her teammates and team RWBY had tried to assuage her but to no avail.

The only persons who could give her council were Dante and Vergil as they were the only ones to stick around for the full explanation. The explanation of how Ozpin had chosen her to be his champion, to inherit the Fall Maiden's power. At least half of that power anyway, from what she understands the other half was being stolen when Ruby's uncle stopped the process.

She sighed, somehow she shouldn't be surprised with this. From the moment she was born it seemed that her destiny had been to be this great….warrior. Her mother trained her as such and she excelled. Not even when she tried to escape from it did she get a break, now she was being given an opportunity to be given a legendary power she thought was fairytale.

She'd go from great to legendary and it hadn't even been a full year in Beacon yet. Why couldn't they choose someone else, like Yang, Weiss or Blake? All she wanted, all she ever needed was to be treated normally. It was a stretch but having come to Beacon and meeting these other incredible people she thought she would be in the background.

Especially since team RWBY seems to attract more attention with their little adventures. Yes, for once she was in the background, observing someone else's time in the spotlight. She had hoped to stay in the background. It was an illusion that was ruined just a few days ago and it was eating at her.

Worst of all she couldn't talk to anyone about it not even her teammates, which is ironic since earlier that day she had told Vergil that their team doesn't hide things from each other. It was a rule after Jaune told them about his fake transcripts, how hypocritical of her. Perhaps the worst part was that her leader wasn't there in her time of need.

Not that she could explain what was wrong but just his presence would be very appreciative and knowing Jaune he would try to help her. People just don't give him enough credit, Jaune can be wise when the situation calls for it. They think JNPR is an effective team because of her but really if they weren't being properly led by a competent leader then her skills would be useless.

Her eyes drifted to the empty bed, she _really_ hoped he would wake up soon, preferably before the dance. It was one thing to endure this on a school day but it would just be torturous to be alone at her first school dance.

She sighed, before rolling over to her side to get some more shut eye. All she could do was hope.

\

Breakfast didn't see much change in his red haired teammate's mood; she was distant, nervous and uncomfortable. Ren and Nora were at a complete loss as to what was wrong, they had tried to help but their attempts fell flat. It was times like this that they could really use Jaune's help, for whatever reason his charms(?) seem to work on her.

Team RWBY wasn't any help, what with Blake _and_ Ruby being out of sorts, the former worse than the latter. With Yang and Weiss organizing this year's dance they were stretched thin as it is and they understood that their team came first. Team DVN had made a conscious effort to help but really they were reluctant to get involved in other people's business.

Ren could understand, he also understood that whatever the headmaster talked to them about must've been big. For the short time he's known her Pyrrha had always been infallible, well apart from the matters of the heart but that was beside the point. He could only imagine what could be the reason for the complete 180 change in demeanor.

Nora was being affected by it and so was he for that matter, he was just about ready to demand some kind of answer. His team was falling apart at the seams without its leader and he won't stand for it. He may have liked to be the fly on the wall observing things but he wouldn't stand by and watch something like this without doing something about it.

It was then that he and Vergil locked eyes, he seemed upset and his eyes darted to Pyrrha before giving the raven haired boy a look. He knew that look in his eyes, eh wanted to discuss something. Ren nodded slightly.

\

"This can't go on."

Yang rolled her eyes as her teammate paced about the room "yeah no kidding."

Weiss glared indignantly at the blonde brawler but sighed once she saw her rigid posture. Weiss had almost reprimanded her for the nonchalant tone but sometimes she forgot just how underneath all that sassy, flirtatious and thrill seeking behavior is a caring sister and dependable teammate.

Right now team RWBY was having a crisis. Blake's odd behavior was enough but ever since Ruby came from the Headmaster's office she had been quiet. Not that her attitude has changed overall but she spent more time thinking if anything else. Weiss had offered to console her but she declined respectfully saying that it was something she needed to do herself. Weiss was inclined to agree with her, it's not as if her ponderings were affecting her performance.

It was just odd to see her partner so _reserved_. Weiss didn't even think about helping Blake, not by herself anyway.

Yang on the other hand was torn between her responsibility to help her sister or partner. Blake was by far the worst of the two cases but her overprotective sisterly instincts was making them both on par at the moment.

"We need to organize some kind of intervention" Weiss suggested.

"I want to keep this in the team."

"Of course" Weiss nodded, neither of them liked the idea of involving anyone outside the team in their affairs.

\

The last class of the day was combat practice, the only class where Dante and Nero actually paid attention If only to see how their new friends stack up to them. They weren't actually bad. On the contrary they quickly found out that they had befriended the two best teams in the first year.

Everyone sans Jaune were the best, case in point, Pyrrha had volunteered to take on an entire team and was utterly destroying them. Although they could tell something was wrong, her movements were refined yet it was clear she could've done better. Can't argue with results though and as she gave Cardin a backflip kick and caught her shield the results are.

""Flawless victory"" Nero and Dante intoned simultaneously like the Mortal Kombat announcer.

"Well done Miss Nikos, you should have no problems qualifying for the tournament."

Pyrrha gave strained yet grateful smile "thank you professor" she looked down as she moved off stage, thankful that it was over. She just couldn't look at her the same after what's been said.

Glynda frowned but sighed and continued "now I know that's a tough act to follow but we have time left for one more sparring match. Are there any volunteers?"

Immediately two hands almost went up only to be restrained by Vergil "we're supposed to be incognito, remember?"

"Hey we're people too you know!" Dante groused his hand trying to shake off Vergil's iron grip.

"Yeah we haven't seen action all week" Nero said.

"Then all you have to do is ask and I can bring us 'home'"

Nero deadpanned "we want to fight real people Verg"

That's when Dante smiled " _unless_ you allow our new friends to come 'home' with us."

Vergil paused at that "no."

"Oh come on I know that's where you're going to train Jaune when he wakes up. So why not give them an early tour or something?"

"….I'll think about it."

With that they turned their attention to see a grey haired boy raise his hand "I'll do it."

Glynda took a good look at the boy "Mercury is it?" she fixed her glasses "very well then, let's find you an opponent."

"Actually" he interrupted "I wanna fight her" he pointed to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha looked around skeptically before it dawned on her "me?" Pyrrha wouldn't normally back down from a challenge but she was feeling really, really out of it today.

"I'm sorry but Miss Nikos has just finished a battle and is in no condition to start another. Now if you'll wait I can find you another opponent"

"I volunteer" another voice spoke out.

All heads turned to see Vergil's hand raised "if that's alright with you professor."

Glynda looked pensive for a moment before she conceded "very well then, would both of you proceed to the arena."

"You hypocritical son of a bitch" Dante whispered.

"No good backstabbing traitor" Nero groused.

Both men strode down to the arena, Mercury wore an impassive gaze but on the inside he swore repeatedly. The boss lady warned him and Emerald about him, said that he was dangerous. When she explained it to them though, there was an anxiety in her eyes, not much but it was there. Also her tone didn't convey a condescending tone.

They still haven't gotten anything on him or his team. It's as if they literally popped up out of nowhere. They have enough resources to be anonymous and kept under the radar. And dangerous enough for even Cinder to recognize and added to the very top of their list even surpassing the faculty. That's Ozpin level scary, at least they've got info on the teachers and students.

Actually he would have liked it if he were to get info on little miss invincible but for some reason she didn't accept. Her profile pegged her as highly competitive, why didn't she take the challenge? Those four idiots didn't even land a single hit on her.

' _Dammit'_

Cinder said to avoid him and his team for now but now it was inevitable, this guy was already suspicious of them, it would only be more suspicious if he didn't accept it. Didn't matter anyway he was here now so he might as well make the most of it.

He's not aiming to win so hopefully he can see what this guy can do and quit while he's ahead. Both of them arrived at the arena and Mercury now sizes up the man before him and paused with a raised eyebrow.

' _Man, this guy is so much like Taurus it not even funny.'_

Seriously all he needed was to change his hair to red, add a Grimm mask and he'd be the leader of the White Fang.

' _Whelp here goes.'_

Mercury started first by running towards Vergil with a straight kick which he easily sidestepped and smacked him across the face with Yamato's sheath. Mercury rolled on the ground before standing, upon seeing Vergil's raised eyebrow he gave a tight lipped grin.

' _Okay, so I can't bluff my way out of this. Wonder why he didn't draw his sword'_

Again Mercury went on the offensive with a few kicks which Vergil blocked with ease. Vergil leaned back slightly from a roundhouse kick and lifted his leg from a leg sweep before jabbing Mercury's chest with the sheath.

The mercenary held his chest, his aura took the hit but he still felt it way more than he should for a jab. He glanced at the Aura readings, he lost some from that jab though he noted it was more than it should have been for a single jab.

He eyed Vergil whose expression conveyed..patience?

Mercury hesitated for a moment before continuing, this time faster. Unsurprisingly Vergil evaded all the attacks. He then went in for another jab but mercury ducked into a single handstand and swung his foot causing Vergil to jump back. Mercury went into several low spins while lashing out with his foot in an attempt to get in Vergil's guard.

Vergil continued to skip back until Mercury jumped and did a full body roundhouse kick off the ground. Vergil leaned back to avoid it but then Mercury's other foot lashed out to catch him off guard in the face. Only instead of blocking Vergil caught his leg by the shin, panic filled Mercury when he saw his eyebrows raised and he stared at the leg inquisitively.

' _Shit!'_ Mercury used his other leg to shoot a concentrated wind Dust into Vergil's stomach and caused him to let go.

Mercury flipped back a few times before coming up in a stance. He cursed again when he saw that he used his sheath to block his shot. Vergil on the other hand started at his legs before looking at Mercury's face with a raised eyebrow.

' _Shit, shit, shit'_ he mulled over his options, obviously the guy was holding, just like him and he probably figured out a secret he didn't want anyone knowing, does he continue? _'screw it'_

He straightened his posture and turned to Glynda "I forfeit" he said a little begrudgingly.

"Are you sure?" Vergil questioned.

"Yeah" he shrugged "obviously you're leagues above me. You didn't even need to draw your sword."

Vergil raised an eyebrow and shook his head at him. Was that disappointment Mercury was seeing?

"In that case Vergil Sparda is the victor of the match" she turned her stern gaze to the audience "that is all for today and remember the dance is this weekend but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept _any_ excuses."

Outside Emerald waited for Mercury and when he finally did they fell into step together "what the hell happened back there?"

"What do you think?" Mercury snapped.

"Well did you at least get some info?"

"..no."

"No?"

He shook his head "nope."

Emerald sighed "Cinder's not going to like this."

"Like what?" a voice said behind them.

Both of them turned to see Vergil standing there with both hands behind his back "Cinder won't like what?" he asked again.

' _Shit, how the hell did he get there?'_

"She wouldn't like how this idiot ended up forfeiting" she lied.

Vergil eyed the ebony skinned girl for a moment and Emerald could feel sweat forming at her nape. She calmed down however when Vergil chuckled.

"Oh you don't have to worry, I'm not participating in the Vytal festival this year. So you can tell Cinder there's no need to 'scope out the competition' Mercury" he made air quotes as he said this.

None of them spoke, neither confirming or denying what he said but considering he figured out their play, Cinder was right to put him on the list..he was sharp.

"Speaking of Cinder, you wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"

They both shared a look before Mercury shrugged "don't know, told us she had some stuff to do and left this morning" which was true.

"That's too bad" he lamented "I'll see you around then" he did a slight wave and walked past them.

\

Dante was getting a little sick and tired of Blake's attitude. She was obviously cranky from the lack of sleep but the reason for it, he didn't know and right now didn't care. She just blew off his friend (and brotha' from anotha' motha') again and basically called off their date all because he was trying to help.

The reason why he didn't tell her off right then and there was for two reasons. First she looked like a wreck and Sun should have really thought twice about approaching her, second Yang said she was working on the problem. He'll trust her to fix it but if she doesn't then Blakey's gonna have to deal with the devil's advocate.

"Now that's just wrong" Neptune shook his head at Team RWBY's retreating form "you okay dude?"

"How would you feel if a girl you like just dumped you before you went on the first date?" he looked to his partner before sighing "oh right, you can't imagine that."

Neptune frowned _'you have no idea.'_

"Please tell me you don't still have a thing for her after that brutal shutdown?" Dante asked.

Sun shrugged "hey can't help it. I hate to see her go but love to watch her leave."

"Can't argue with that" Dante smirked. What Blake's hot and have you seen those legs? "that it though?" Dante's superficial himself but there's no way he'd like a girl just because she only looks hot.

Sun frowned "no, well yeah that's part of it" he admitted before the trio walked "she's beautiful yeah, anyone can see _that_ but there's so much more to her than just a pretty face"

"She's got nice legs too" Dante said cupping his chin.

"Yeah~" Sun said dreamily

"Gotta admit, the stockings do well to compliment them" Neptune added his two cents in.

"Totally~" Sun nodded before shaking his head "no dude cut that out! Both of you!"

Dante held his hands up in surrender "hey, we were just making an observation"

"Yeah dude calm down. We're not interested in Blake that way."

Sun sighed "not like it matters anyway. She just rejected me."

"I wouldn't give up hope yet" Dante supplied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you just had bad timing. Yang told me Blake was going through some stuff and that she's going to work on it. Hopefully she'll be back to normal and realize what a big mistake she made and approach you about the dance or something" he shrugged.

"And if that doesn't happen?"

"Then there's plenty of fish in the sea. I'm pretty sure Neptune can tell you that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"Neptune enquired.

That caught Dante a little off guard "well, no offense, but you seem like the kind of guy who knows 'the game' and burn through girls faster than Oobleck through his coffee"

Neptune scowled "okay dude first of all _no one_ can burn through anything faster than Oobleck and coffee."

Dante conceded that fact, forget running water, coffee might as well be oxygen for that guy.

"-and second I may know 'the game' but that doesn't mean I'm some pretty boy douche who flirts with every girl he sees."

"You did flirt with those girls that one time you were having a match" Sun remembered.

"Dude! We were in a fight, what better distraction is there for a girl than a cool guy flirting with them?"

"He has a point" Dante does that, mostly to distract them…or to amuse himself with their reaction.

"And if I end up getting a date afterwards then it's a bonus" he shrugged.

"So what do we do now?" Sun questioned deliberately switching topics.

"We still got some time before dinner."

"I've got some video games from my world if you guys wanna play."

"Did you even need to ask?" Sun grinned.

As the trio headed for DVN's dorm room Neptune just had to ask "how did you guys manage to bring back all that stuff?"

"Better yet, how did you sneak it into your room past Goodwitch?"

" _That_ I will keep a secret."

\

Pyrrha sighed "why is this so hard?" she asked her comatose leader.

In lieu of their training session together Pyrrha had relegated herself to pass that time by staying by his side. It's been like this every day since he touched Crocea Mors which now lied on his chest still. With his unconscious form and how Crocea Mors was positioned under his hands which lay on his stomach, Jaune looked like a king about to be buried.

' _I guess that would make me the widowed queen mourning his death'_ she joked.

It managed to bring a smile to her face but it just as quickly fell. Gods she had it bad for this boy. Pyrrha didn't know exactly _when_ she fell for her partner, it just sort of happened. They say that the right man makes a girl feel special, ironically Jaune makes her feel special by treating her normal.

Odd isn't it?

What kind of girl would like a boy _not_ to treat her special?

The answer is the same kind of girl who'd been treated special all her life and is quite frankly sick of it. She'd like some normalcy in her life and while Beacon wasn't the _best_ place for that, she had the next best thing. Being friends with a normal boy.

Maybe that's where his charm comes from?

Jaune Arc is, well _was_ a normal boy, no training, barely any knowledge in the ways of being a Huntsman yet gifted enough to be the best if given the chance.

' _Oh Gods I'm a horrible person.'_

So this is what it boils down to now? She was so desperate for normalcy that she latched onto the first person that even so much as treats her like one. They say a drowning man will clutch at a straw but this is just ridiculous. Was she so shallow, so starved for normalcy that she would essentially _trap_ him in a partnership to suite her selfish desire?

' _Yes'_ she thought sadly staring at his unconscious face.

Did she truly save him from falling to his death?

Or was she securing him, like some..some kind of predator who marked her prey. Did she even care he didn't have a say in the matter? At the time, no, after all who could ever pass up the opportunity of partnering with _the_ Pyrrha Nikos?

' _Even though he had no idea who she was and only vaguely remembered her face from the box cover of that horrid cereal'_ she thought with a wince and a little hurt, it just _had_ to be the stupid cereal.

Well it didn't matter either way, he took it in stride and they got along swimmingly. Then Cardin's bullying escalated, the revelation of the fake transcripts, then Cardin's blackmail. If she'd only known about that sooner then, well let's just say CRDL wouldn't have made it to Forever Fall due to extensive injuries.

Not that it mattered since Jaune handled the situation and against all odds killed his first Grimm an Ursa Major. She knew some hunters-in-training who would have trouble with one, hell Cardin couldn't even handle it. She could just picture Jaune in that moment, he was amazing and the way how he decapitated the Grimm in one swing was glorious but that was nothing compared to the threat he made against Cardin…..wait.

Her eyes widened _'that's around the time it happened'_

She remembered it was right then that she stopped looking at him as 'just a friend.' It was because she saw _it_ , his potential made reality. Pyrrha wouldn't lie to herself, she isn't the most feminine individual, nothing like Weiss or even Yang. She also doesn't do much for hobbies, unless you count weapon maintenance a hobby.

Ruby would but that's beside the point.

The fact is, she wasn't like many girls, she liked fighting, whether it's, Grimm, tournaments or sparring she loved it. She liked the competition, the test of skills the rush that comes from a battlefield. It wasn't something that could be explained, it just was, you don't continue to do something that brings you displeasure unless you truly loved it.

And Pyrrha Nikos loved fighting, no combat in general, almost as much as she loves chocolate.

And apparently Jaune Arc. She didn't know where she would put him on the list of things she cherished but he was there right next to her love of combat if not slightly above it.

Now she finally understood why she liked Jaune so much, why she _really_ liked Jaune. What he did to the Ursa, despite having not done a single form of training or having any prior knowledge on Grimm or combat in general did the impossible and killed an elder Grimm.

The moment afterwards where he made his declaration to Cardin, _that_ specific moment did it for her. He seemed so, _confident_ and not like that macho bravado he did when they first met but real self assurance. He was actually intimidating, it's a shame she never saw him like that more often. She liked regular Jaune but _loved_ it more when he's confident but he lacked it for obvious reasons.

His insecurities were overshadowing his potential but she knew how to fix that problem or at least help him. Regardless of what was said before she does care for Jaune and the reason why she's so hesitant to take the next step and tell him about her feelings is because of her own insecurities.

Not to mention the glaring fact that he likes Weiss, by far the most feminine girl she knew. It only rubbed salt in her wounds when she see him go back to her no matter how many times she shot him down, publicly and mercilessly. She never understood it, Jaune isn't dumb, merely uneducated but even a deaf man would get the memo.

She's not interested, move on stupid.

At one point Pyrrha was seconds from blurting out her confession. She didn't though, she was trained to be patient. Eventually he would get it and she could hopefully tell him how she feels. Until that time though she would endure as he tries and fail to get Weiss to notice him.

Is she a bad person for wanting to strangle Weiss sometimes?

' _What am I thinking?'_

Her eyes drifted to the time then blinked, it had been an hour since she came down there. She chuckled, it was amazing how the entire time her thoughts were occupied by Jaune to the point where she forgot why she was depressed in the first place. She smiled at the blonde, her eyes drifted to his lips and her mind started to wander..

' _No bad thoughts!'_ she mentally chastised, she's not that far gone.

It was then she noticed Crocea Mors started to glow _'it has not done that a lot lately.'_

\

 _Jaune messed up, he really did it this time. Let the record show that Jaune has absolutely no luck with women whether they are human, Faunus or in this case inanimate objects that somehow have a soul._

" _I'm such an idiot" he lamented._

 _On the bright side he wasn't in some kind of purgatory simulator anymore. On the downside what was once a blue endless void was filled with lots and lots of…stuff. Yes stuff would be the right words since he can't really make heads or tails of it._

" _I'm definitely not in Remnant anymore."_

 _The landscape looked like a jumbled mess, there were rocks floating and it looked like some kind of city or parts of it. The sky was at the crosswords from sky blue to orange like evening just before sunset. He only paused for a few minutes to get a better grasp of things before eventually setting off. He could see a break in the path which he would have to jump._

 _He did but surprisingly he overstepped and landed way further than he thought, with Pyrrha's training he landed in a roll._

" _Whoa" how also noticed his voice didn't echo anymore._

 _Right now he was on a cobblestone path there were pieces of the ground floating about. A piece floated by his head and he poked it forward._

" _Huh" his eyes then landed on a familiar figure huddled by a tree on the other side "Crocea!" he shouted._

 _The girl started but looked to him, she blinked multiple times before frowning and stood then walked away._

" _Wait!" he sprinted towards her and jumped the long chasm without a second thought._

 _He landed with a grunt before approaching her "look can we like talk about this."_

 _The girl said nothing, only disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared several hundred meters away. Jaune would have followed but he wouldn't be able to make that jump._

" _Great now what?" he looked around for something, anything to get to her. That's when the tree she huddled by started to glow pure white._

 _The glow felt familiar and it had a pulling effect on him. Jaune found his arm lifting until his palm was held out as if accepting something. Surprisingly the glow went from the tree to his outstretched hand. It travelled through his arm towards his back spreading through his body until it ended at the sole of his feet._

 _When it was ending Jaune felt a sudden rush of wind not a breeze but it was going outward from him and for two brief seconds he floated._

 _It was by far the trippiest feeling he ever had._

 _He looked to the girl silently observing him over the chasm before he thought 'she left this for me. She wants me to her' he looked down at the endless abyss and gulped_

' _Time to take a leap of faith.'_

 _He ran to the edge and jumped with all his strength, he made it about halfway through before he started plummeting. Before he did Jaune thrust his arms and legs back and a rush of air enveloped him before he glided with a white streak and landed on the other side._

 _*Clap* *clap* *clap*_

 _He looked up to see Crocea Mors clapping though her expression was one of indifference._

" _Can we talk now?"_

 _Her answer was to disappear into the piece of ruined city._

 _*Sigh* "this is going to be a long day."_

\

"I can't believe I'm doing this" Nero mumbled to no one in particular.

He had been holding off on doing this for a really long time now but he's reached his limit or rather Red Queen has reached her limit and as much as he could do it himself he just wouldn't be able to get this done properly in time for the mission on Monday.

He sighed "come on, man up. The sooner you get this over with the better."

With an anxiety he never knew before the young half devil steeled his resolve before raising his knuckles to knock on the door only for it to be opened. A haggard looking Blake regarded him for a moment before dismissing herself down the hall. If he had to guess she was going to the library, that's where she's always been going lately.

"Nero?"

His attention was turned to the other three girls in the room. They were more surprised to see him there. Not that he blamed them, he was surprised to be there now.

"Do you need something?" Yang questioned.

"Yeah Ruby, you got a minute, I need to ask you something" he scratched the back of his head.

Almost immediately warning bells went off in Yang's head and before Ruby could speak she cut her off.

"What about?"

Nero gave her a confused look before realization dawned just before he scowled at her "I was curious about Dust and I was _wondering_ if she could help me integrate them into Red Queen and Blue Rose."

"Oh"

"What did you think I was going to do? Ask her to the dance or something?"

Yang narrowed her eyes "are you saying my sister isn't good enough to take to the dance?" her arms folded.

Nero gave her the most bored look he could afford "nice try goldie locks but I'm not even going so why would I even ask her?"

"That still doesn't answer my question."

Nero sighed, obviously Yang isn't going to let this go, he leaned slightly to look directly at Ruby "if you decide to help me, I'll be in the weapon's forge tinkering" with that he reached in and closed the door on Yang's face while she was in her own room.

Yang frowned and turned to see Ruby frowning at her "what?"

"Yang, I can take care of myself."

"I know."

"Then you know I can handle boys" she got off the bed "you know I've been working on trying to be friends with Nero."

"Yeah."

"So stop scaring him off every time he tries to be considerate!" she snapped before calming down "he's not like the other boys Yang" she spoke before walking out the dorm.

Weiss watched the scene with patience "well I think it's about time we leave."

"..yeah" she didn't like how it ended with both of their teammates "just give me a few minutes with Blake first."

"I can give you half an hour. And make sure you convince her Yang."

The blonde smirked "you got it princess."

"It's heiress-oh forget it" she paused "also I may not be available when you come back."

Yang raised an eyebrow "really, mind telling me why that is?"

Weiss grew slightly irritated "not that it is any of your _business_ but there is something I must take care of."

Yang studied her for a moment, the thing about Weiss is she's as infallible as Blake when it comes to being read. Though unlike Blake she's easy to rile up

"This _thing_ doesn't have to do with that blue haired dork right"

*Twitch*

That was all Yang needed to go on "it does" she cheered "finally gonna ask him to the dance huh?"

Weiss' scarred eye twitched before she sighed "I don't have time for this. I have to go to the amphitheatre and _you_ " she shot her a cold glare "need to talk to your partner" with that she turned her head and walked out with her head held high.

Just before she turned the corner Yang's head popped out from the doorway "I want details when you get back!" she shouted.

Weiss balled her fist tightly with a low growl as her steps turned to stomps but calms down as she fishes out her scroll and send a text.

\

Militia found herself exploring the halls of Beacon. It was a rarity for her to be alone, what with her sister's overprotectiveness. Unfortunately Melanie was serving a sentence for inciting yet _another_ foodfight. She sighed at her sister's hotheadedness. Fortunately Ozpin, while not too invasive about letting them enroll, has at least given them temporary lodgings until they made up their minds.

Since it was their students' fault they are homeless in the first place. They spent the day getting their stuff from the club which surprisingly didn't have any cops at the scene. But that would be because the Atlas military had occupied the place. Also the entire place was devoid of any bodies, the destruction remained but the place didn't have anything else.

They spent most of the day clearing the place of any evidence to suggest they had ever been employed. At least they allowed them to take all the money in Junior's safe. Now she and her sister was set for..about a few months.

You'd be surprised how frugal they can be despite their glamorous look. You don't live in poverty without learning the value of a Lien.

On another note she had finally gotten her normal attire back, red newspaper dress, weapon and all. Now Militia found herself in the precarious position of having nothing to do. Usually she would be hanging out in the club, running one of Junior's errands or doing something with her sister.

Obviously she can't do any of those things _now_ so she decided to explore her surroundings. She may not want to be a Huntress but it's not every day you get a chance to explore the best hunter school on Remnant. So far she was impressed, this place wasn't like a school but more like a castle in fairytales.

The students though? Well they are the same hormonal teenagers, very skilled but hormonal teenagers anyway. She received some looks from boys..and the few girls but none of them approached her. It was because Militia had perfected _the look,_ the expression where that could make men shrivel up if exposed to too much.

That's when her eyes caught sight of a sort of familiar face _'it's him.'_

He saw her too and raised an eyebrow before concentrating "you" he began "you're that girl from the club right?"

He was slightly younger than her and had his arm in a cast. He was definitely younger than her, maybe a year or two. What caught her eye most was the huge case he had slung over his back being held by his hand.

"Yeah, I'm Militia."

"I'm-"

"Nero!"

He sighed "what she said."

Soon the duo was joined by another pale skinned, short haired girl with the same color scheme which Nero seemed to pick up on.

"Oh hi there" she greeted.

"Hi" Militia greeted back.

There was a beat before Nero rolled his eyes "Ruby Militia, Militia Ruby" he introduced before pausing to look between them "I can tell you two are going to be _best_ friends."

This seemed to urge Ruby on "so how are you enjoying Beacon?"

Militia could tell this girl had not had much social interaction "it's alright."

"Oh, good."

Another beat before Nero spoke "not that this hasn't been fun but we really need to get to the forge _before_ it closes."

"Oh yeah, sorry we have to go but um….you're welcome to join us if you want" she looked at Nero who glanced at militia before shrugging.

Militia thought about it for a while before shaking her head "no thanks."

Ruby looked a little disappointed "oh okay then."

They both went their separate ways and Militia mentally smacked herself _'I forgot to thank him'_ she turned but they were already gone _'oh well, I'll tell him next time. This place isn't that big.'_

She turned on a corridor and headed for the stairs leading to the roof. She opened the door expecting it to be empty but a solitary figure sat at the edge of the roof. He immediately turned around and Militia initially froze but then once he got a good look at her his gaze softened and he turned to look out of the horizon.

Militia would have left but her eyes were fixed on the horizon _'he wouldn't mind'_ she walked to the edge.

"You like mind if I sit here?"

"It's a free Kingdom" he murmured.

Militia frowned taking a good look at the boy, he was tall, despite him sitting in a slouch he reached her waist. His burnt red hair was cut low and he…was looking at her right now.

"…what?" he scowled.

Her face showed surprise before frowning " _nothing_ " she turned towards the horizon as an uncomfortable silence enveloped them.

Militia heard him sigh "sorry"

She turned to him "what?"

"I said I was sorry okay" he looked away.

Militia blinked, she didn't expect him to apologize he didn't look the type. He seems more like the muscles for brains, brutish type with an ego. Looking more closely she could see the slouched posture, a kind of dullness in his eyes. He looks like the frequent schmuck who gets himself drunk because of something bad happening in his life.

Defeated…yes that's the word to describe him.

"Okay" she said, releasing the tension.

…..

"You're not from Beacon are you?"

Militia raised a delicate eyebrow, was he seriously attempting small talk right now "no."

"You a transfer student or something?"

She thought about if she should answer that, the entire time the boy never once looked at her which means he wasn't attempting to flirt. It was the type of conversation she'd see two strangers at the bar do once in a while to pass the time….or distract themselves.

Well he caught her in a good mood today "my sister and I came in a few days ago."

He paused "sister" he mumbled "let me guess, short girl looks a lot like you but with long hair and wears white?"

"Same one, you've seen her before?"

"Yeah she hit me in the face with someone's dinner a few days ago."

Militia's eyes widened "oh. Sorry for that."

"Doesn't matter, wasn't hungry anyway."

…..

"I didn't catch your name."

He gave her a sideways glance "….it's Cardin"

"Militia."

With the tension gone they both enjoyed the sunset in full view.

\

Pyrrha walked into the dorm to the sight of her two teammates and Vergil waiting for her "hello Pyrrha, have a seat, we've been waiting" the Nephilm greeted.

"Vergil, Ren, Nora. What's going on?" she asked hesitantly while closing the door behind her.

"Pyrrha" Ren began "Nora and I are concerned about your behavior over the past few days."

"Yeah, you've been all gloomy and silent. Of course I thought it was because fearless leader was out of commission but then Ren asked Vergil and he said it had to do with your meeting with Ozpin-"

"What?" Pyrrha perked up and glared at Vergil "you told them?"

Ozpin had requested that both Vergil and Dante _not_ tell anyone about what they've learned.

"No I did not" he answered "I can understand why Ozpin told us to keep it a secret but honestly I don't think it's necessary" he stood up "yourselves, Team RWBY, Sun and Neptune are in way too deep to be left in the dark now."

It was honestly baffling why Ozpin wanted to keep this a secret after what they've seen.

He eyed Pyrrha who couldn't help but tense under his gaze "in my opinion I think you should tell your teammates what is really going on. You may think this is your decision and yours alone but honestly you and I both know that this will affect your team as much as it does you. That's all I wanted to say" with that Vergil exited the room.

With only their team in the room Nora broke the silence "what's going on? What was Vergil talking about?"

Pyrrha swallowed, she was feeling really uncomfortable now and Nora didn't like it "Pyrrha."

Ren held his hand up "whatever it is we won't pry if you don't want to answer Pyrrha but if you trust us then you'll talk about it in your own time" he got up and so did Nora although it was clear she didn't like it.

"Wait" she said stopping him. Pyrrha released a sigh "when I went to the see the headmaster…"

\

 _Jaune has never felt so free before, the feeling of the wind hitting his face the weightlessness of his body as he glided to the next destination. It was like initiation only less terrifying and more fun because he had control and wasn't unexpectedly launched off a cliff._

 _It was a shame that it didn't last._

" _Hgh!" he landed with a grunt and looked around._

' _Something's not right'_ he immediately figured.

 _What was once day had turned to night, he looked back only to see he was somewhere else entirely and like before he had no idea how he ended up here. Unlike before there was less fragments._

" _What is this place?"_

 _The place looked like it ripped straight from Bloodborne._

" _This is the demon world."_

 _Jaune jumped at the voice directly beside him. Crocea looked to him, her gaze was no longer cold but it was a far cry from her personality when they initially met._

" _Crocea I'm sor-"_

 _She held her hand up_ _"don't apologize Jaune. Words are cheap and actions speak louder than them."_

 _Jaune's mouth closed before he became serious "what do I have to do?"_

" _Since you didn't take the back door out of here you'll need to go the alternate route"_

" _Which is?"_

 _Her hand pointed up_ _"do you see that statue?"_

 _He looked up to see a statue of, a woman with wings only her wings are shackled._

" _That is the seal that's binding your power and prevented me from reaching out to you. Even now its slowly siphoning the angelic power that boy gave me."_

" _Angelic? What do you mean by angelic?"_

 _Crocea looked at him incredulously_ _"you mean you haven't figured it out yet?"_

" _Figure what out?"_

" _Jaune you're a descendant of angels"_ _she pointed to the statue_ _"and that is the source of your angelic powers. Do you understand?"_

 _Jaune simply stared "understand? UNDERSTAND!? Of course I don't understand! You're telling me I'm an angel, how I mean why me!?"_

" _Blame your ancestors and no you're the only angel. Your power is sealed within me represented by that statue. Honestly any one of your sisters or father could have the power but you were lucky enough to have me when I received the power to pull you in."_

 _Jaune slumped "oh" well so much for thinking he was special._

 _Crocea gave him a pat on the back_ _"don't worry Jaune you're about to become the first Remnant born angel. You've always wanted to be a hero right?"_ _he nodded_ _"well with this power you will be able to accomplish that."_

 _There was a brief pause as he contemplated this "I'm still sorry."_

 _She sighed_ _"not this again, listen Jaune-"_

" _No I have something to say so let me finish" her mouth closed "this isn't about now, I was wrong to ever doubt your integrity and I'm sorry for that."_

" _I know."_

" _I- you_ _ **know**_ _?"_

" _Yes, our souls were connected the moment I pulled you here. In a manner of speaking I know everything about you. I could sense the guilt you had so I knew you regretted what you did"_ _she became sheepish_ _"I suppose it wasn't your entire fault, you didn't know your weapon had a soul but at least you didn't disregard me. After all you had many other weapons to choose from yet you chose me"_ _she smiled_ _"I appreciate that."_

" _Yeah…wait what were you saying before about a demon world."_

" _Yes well, this was your ancestor's memories. I constructed this place so you'd be able to get a handle on your new abilities. I based it off a videogame"_

"… _Bloodborne?"_

" _Bloodborne"_

" _Oh Dust, I'm not gonna fight a one of the Eldritch am I?"_

 _Crocea grinned sheepishly_ _"in my defense, their portrayal of demons is actually very accurate….too accurate"_ _her eyes shifted away and narrowed when she mumbled that._

" _Do I at least get a gun?"_

 _She gave an annoyed expression_ _"listen up; I'm the only weapon you'll ever need. I don't want you going around eyeing other weapons, get it!?"_

 _Jaune gulped "got it."_

 _Crocea grinned triumphantly "good."_

" _So how am I supposed to do this?"_

" _Hold me"_ _she spread her arms signifying her need for a hug._

 _Jaune hesitantly complied and her body started dematerialized into yellow light. Where there was soft skin and the scent of pines was now cold steel and the scent of metal. Jaune held Crocea Mors' sword and shield. It wasn't like usual though, Jaune had a newfound appreciation for his weapon._

" _There are three tethers to destroy and we're going to have to hurry."_

" _Why hurry?"_

" _Aside from the fact that they are siphoning the power needed for you to be here?"_

 _Well she didn't have to say it like_ _ **that**_ _._

" _Do you want to miss the dance? Because its tomorrow."_

" _WHAT!?"_

" _I've been keeping track of what happens outside. Time is a little wonky in here."_

 _As demons began popping out of the ground Jaune charged with renewed vigor into the hordes with confidence and desperation._

\

The sun had finally set and the shattered moon stood out in place. Weiss took a moment to appreciate it before facing forward. She was nervous, which was rarity, well not really, she had been nervous plenty of times but that had been when she was under her father's thumb. This had been the first time she was nervous since she arrived in Vale from Atlas.

She hated this feeling, heart racing, palms sweating and the anxiety build-up. She hated it very much yet it had to be done. It was ludicrous really, her, _the_ Weiss Schnee, heiress to the prestigious (and infamous) Schnee Dust Company, former World renowned singer and second-in-command of the best team of first year Huntresses-in-training at the most prestigious Hunter Academy on Remnant, was actually doing this.

She was about to relegate herself to the lowly task of…asking someone to the dance.

Her tongue went a little dry at the thought.

' _Damn you Neptune.'_

That dolt, that idiotic…..

"Hey snow angel."

'… _handsome-NO!'_

Weiss paused in her strides to look at the boy whom she had gotten to know over the course of the week. He still looked as handsome as the day she first met him. To be perfectly clear Weiss was not _in_ love with the boy yet she didn't dislike him either. Being who she was Weiss wasn't exposed to a lot of men who didn't want something from her.

Money, Fame, her body, company secrets….her life, take your pick they would always want _something_.

Neptune wasn't an exception to that rule, it was obvious from the flirting and subtle undertone that he was interested in her. At the time she let herself indulge in it, he was cute, he knew how to flirt and sometimes she found herself actually enamored with him. Those were brief moments though but she never saw herself falling for him.

Then it all stopped or at least his flirting stopped, each meeting they had after the whole highway fiasco became less and less intimate to the point where they engaged in friendly conversations. Weiss noticed of course and since he wasn't flirting anymore then she would have distanced herself. Except she didn't because she found herself rather enjoying their chats.

Neptune is actually brilliant and refined enough for her not to release a sigh of aggravation during a conversation. That was a surprise and an incredible feat he didn't even seem to realize he's accomplished. Either way Weiss was eventually drawn to him, not like the pretty boy persona he exhibits but the person. She hasn't met someone who could make her laugh, challenge her intellect or just pass the time with since her sister.

So could you say that Weiss Schnee was in love with Neptune Vascillas? No she's not sure but she would confirm that she may have a small crush on him and would very much like him to accompany her to the dance.

That's where the problem starts. Weiss had no idea why he stopped flirting with her, maybe he was caught up with wanting to know her like she did him, if so she would assume now that he was in her good graces he would take the initiative and ask her to the dance. She had even dropped subtle hints about the dance to jog his memory. None of it worked and he hasn't actually made mention of the dance during their conversations.

So what gives?

Did he get cold feet? Was he nervous? Doubtful, he had too much experience and they had been too friendly for him to be overwhelmed _now_. She could only assume he was playing 'hard to get' meaning that he wanted _her_ to ask _him_. It was something she wasn't used to outside her family, having to actually work at getting someone's attention.

Weiss sighed, all she could do was get this charade over with and if he so much as smirks at her, he will feel her wrath.

With that thought she schooled her features and greeted him "hello Neptune."

Said boy smiled as he looked to her, the moonlight reflecting off her pale skin seem to enhance her beauty. Hey, he didn't call her snow angel for the aesthetics and Yang may be hot, figuratively and sometimes literally but there was just something about Weiss that he liked more than the fiery blonde.

Maybe he's into Tsundere?

' _Whoa okay let's not get ahead of ourselves.'_

"So what's up?"

"Ahem, well I'm sure you're aware of the dance that is to be held tomorrow night."

' _Oh no'_ Neptune's smile faded.

Weiss missed it since for some reason she couldn't look him in the eye "well I was wondering"

' _No, no, no, no'_

"-if you would"

' _-no, no, no, no, no, no, no-'_

"-accompany me as my date?" she looked at his face relieved at getting it out without stuttering.

That relief quickly evaporated as she saw the bewildered look he had. It's as if he didn't see this coming but how could he not? This was all part of his plan right..right?

His face adopted an apologetic look, one Weiss used to see from her family "I-I'm sorry Weiss but" he paused "I can't."

Weiss was rendered speechless at this, and Neptune didn't look any happier, in fact he looked awful "I, ah, I gotta go" he took off in a brisk space before she could say anything.

It took a while for her to wrap her head around what just happened but when she did, the shock and confusion gave way to cold fury with a bit of sadness.

He rejected her, she suffered through the indignity of asking him out and he rejected **her** _.' Oh Neptune Vascillas, you will rue the day you crossed me,_ _ **no one rejects a Schnee!**_ _'_

Meanwhile Neptune mentally swore. It was this very same situation he was trying to avoid. That is her asking him to the dance, it would have been cool if they met their but not go their together. It's the reason why he stopped the flirting once he found out about the dance.

Ugh dance.

He hated that word, he disliked anything that had to do with that activity and tended to avoid them. Dammit he screwed up big time, if he'd known about the damn dance beforehand he could've mitigated, planned ahead but he went in half cocked and flirted with the first cute girl he saw.

' _Stupid jackass'_ he mentally chastised.

Now he went and fudged his relationship with Weiss who is probably the only girl he'd met so far who wasn't going to be just another conquest in the Vascillas notebook. No there was something about her that he was drawn to.

Maybe he was actually falling for her.

Maybe he should have given her a proper explanation…

' _Not like it matters now'_ he frowned and went back to his dormroom. He made sure to text Sun he wouldn't be joining them.

\

Nero and Ruby talked specifics as they headed towards their rooms having being kicked out of the forge. The young half devil never thought he would have said this but…his time with the girl wasn't bad. Actually it was great, granted she still ran her mouth like there's no tomorrow and sometimes leave out on a tangent but he didn't mind since it was geared towards ideas and not random bullshit.

Not to say he didn't have to stop her when she thought of something out of hand. It mostly involved when she wanted to put a gun in his sword. How she would pull it off he didn't know or cared…well he did care and he was curious but there's no way in hell she's gonna play Frankenstein with his girl.

Again not everything went smoothly, Ruby really needed to learn self control when talking to people. Nero was actually embarrassed when she said and quote

" _-I'll let you see mine if you let me see yours"_

That got about everyone withng a ten feet radius' attention. At least Ruby understood what she saod and had the decency to turn beet red and sputter a denial.

' _Dammit Ruby'_ he shook his head.

"Everything okay" said girl questioned.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"What about?"

He looked at her "how many vials we can fit in Red Queen and how long can they be without offsetting the balance"

It was supposed to be an excuse but now he's really thing about it. since they stated in the evening they only spent the day looking over Red Queen's blueprints where they went over wat they would need to be added. They never actually got to where they would put a vial slots in it just yet.

Then another thought came to him "and then there's the types of Dust to choose" he looked to her.

"I think we'll have to ask Weiss"

Nero scowled "do we have to?"

Ruby shot him a serious look "Weiss knows about the different Dust types and her weapon is kinda similar to what you want to do with Red Queen."

That makes sense actually and as much as he dislikes the princess he can't dispute the logic behind Ruby's suggestion.

He sighed "will she even agree?" at the slightly confused look he elaborated "maybe you haven't noticed but I'm not on her favorites list"

Ruby waved him off "aw don't mind her, she's always like that meeting new people. Just give more time she'll warm up to yah."

Nero snorted "no thanks."

Ruby frowned "why do you do that?"

"What?"

Ruby played with the hem of her cloak "you know, distance yourself from people."

"I'm not a people person Ruby and it has nothing to do with me not being able to make friends. I just like being alone."

"Oh" was her crestfallen response as they arrived at her room door, her expression then turned pensive before she looked him in the eyes "can we be friends?"

Well Nero didn't expect that, he stared at her "tired of skirting around it so you just straight up pop the question huh?" he raised an amused brow.

"Are we?" she asked again.

His smirk dropped and he took a long look in her silver eyes, they were unwavering "you won't take no for answer will you?"

Ruby's expression didn't change and Nero sighed "you think I'd just let anyone touch Red Queen?" he questioned.

Ruby beamed and went to hug him but once he grimaced she caught herself and coughed "no, me either, with Crescent Rose I mean" she quickly added.

Like she'd let just anyone touch her baby, not even Yang has that privilege. Only herself, uncle Qrow and now..Nero had the level of trust for her to allow them to tinker with her baby.

"So I'll see you tomorrow." He began walking away.

"Yeah, tomorrow" she watched as he entered his room and did a fist pump "yes!"

With a beaming smile she unlocked the door and walked inside. Almost immediately her smile disappeared once she saw the eyes of her teammates on her. Well two of them anyway

*Click*

The sound of the door closing behind her was followed by two firm hands resting on her shoulder. Ruby gulped and a bead of sweat ran down her forehead, she didn't need to turn to see who had just essentially trapped her.

"Hey sis" Yang's sickly sweet voice sounded "let's _talk_."

\

Emerald and especially Mercury sat in silence as Cinder glowered at them figuratively and quite literally glowered at them. They messed but Mercury even more so, they could feel the temperature start to rise.

"Mercury" her voice "I thought I specifically ordered both of you not to directly antagonize any of those three boys. Did I not?"

"Yes" he answered "but I thought.."

"You don't think!" her voice was still leveled but the spike in the temperature said it all about her mood "as of a few days ago those three boys are none of our concern" she declared "is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

Cinder took a calming breath "did you at least gain any useful information?"

At this Mercury looked even more hesitant, Cinder was not amused "Emerald"

"No ma'am" the thief answered "he seemed aware of what we were planning with Nikos."

' _Just perfect'_ she and her team went out of their way to avoid them and it only seemed to make him more suspicious.

Not really a surprise once you think about it.

"He asked about you" Mercury commented and Cinder raised an eyebrow signaling him to continue "he wanted to talk to you about something."

Ah, it must be about that insipid dance she would have to attend. She mentally berated herself, when she had agreed to go with him, she wasn't all there when she agreed. That song she was hearing had done more than distract her and it had something to do with the Arc boy, speaking of which..

"Did you have any luck in seeing Jaune Arc?"

"No ma'am, he wasn't in the infirmary."

They moved him? Well damn. That mystery will have to remain so. Not that it mattered, by Monday, if anything she will get what she wants and be rid of this place.

Mercury spoke next "are you still going to infiltrate CCT?"

At this Cinder sighed "no, with that boy I don't think I will have enough time to slip away. No I will have someone else infiltrate the tower in my stead"

Mercury and Emerald shared a look "Neo?"

"Yes."

Cinder hadn't wanted to take her from Roman since she helps keep the White Fang in check but with her preoccupied she would have to do. Cinder would begrudgingly admit Neo's unique Semblance should allow her to gain access much more smoothly than herself. That way it would be done and no one would be the wiser.

' _That is if she can keep her manic tendencies in check.'_

Cinder is aware that Neopolitan for all intents and purposes is insane and Cinder is weary around the girl more than she is around Roman. A highly skilled psychopath with dual Semblance who is prone to act upon her whims.

How Roman has managed to keep her in check all these years remains a mystery and is something she would like to know since despite the girl's clear neurosis she is very loyal to Roman for some reason.

' _If only..'_

So many unexpected things have occurred to complicate things, but they won't pan out, the plan was clear the end goal in sight. She would not fail, not now, not when she was so close.

 _To Be Continued_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Okay for this chapter, this was just my speculation on what the characters would or should be liking each other for. Also you might have noticed I skimmed some of the things that you've no doubt already seen in canon. Well I wanted to focus on some of the unseen things, also I've watched the episodes concerning the dance and apparently the dance happened the same day, Yang had her talk with Blake and Weiss asked Neptune out. Either that or they skipped a day, I'm going with the latter. This was Friday and I'm guessing the dance happened on Saturday.**

 **Now then, Jaune is taking a lesson in badass. If anyone is familiar with my other RWBY stories then you know it was only a matter of time. I hate writing useless characters, I just do, that's why Sun and Neptune aren't just comic relief.**

 **I explored a little of how the news was impacting Pyrrha, the girl who has always been treated special was chosen to inherit powers of legend. You know I think in a way that news sorta** _ **broke**_ **her. I mean think about it, she'd always been level headed and non egotistical but then Ozpin told her he chose her as his champion to be a legendary warrior and suddenly she:**

 **Thinks her destiny is to save Remnant.**

 **Thought she would be able to help Ozpin fight Cinder.**

 **Chooses to fight Cinder alone after Ozpin lost despite the clear power gap.**

 **Kisses Jaune, practically confessing her love for him before disregarding his presence by shoving him in a locker in a similar way to how Ozpin told her "you'll only get in the way"**

 **Now either Pyrrha had a death wish or the news gave her an ego boost that is not shown through her mannerisms but through her actions. Seriously if it's not true arrogance that would make her fight Cinder by herself then I don't know what is. In the end she like Ozpin paid the price for their arrogance. Yes Ozpin is arrogant, Salem had him pegged, I have evidence of this and will inform you in the future.**

 **In other news Streggae had advocated the building of the ship CardinxMilitia (to be named). No doubt none of you saw that coming but just to be clear that was an experiment I'm working on. Cardin and Militia had a moment and as of now I am undecided on where to go with it. Think of their meeting as a matter of coincidence.**

 **Also after so many chapters of teasing I have finally taken Ruby and Nero's relationship to the next level. That's right people they are now officially….** _ **friends**_ **.**

 ***APPLAUSE***

 **I'll update sooner than last time.**


	10. The Awakening

**Author's Notes: Released By popular demand and no less than 2 PM's asking "when are you releasing the next chapter? Right Now!**

 **Chapter 10: The Awakening**

 _Jaune hadn't known how long he had been at this. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't really tired, not really. He'd about just finished releasing two tethers and was making a b-line for the final one. Along the way demons popped out of the ground and like as always he killed them with relative ease._

 _Jaune knew it had to down with him releasing the tethers sealing his power, he literally felt the power rush into him when he broke parts of the seal. He was faster, stronger, felt lighter and had more endurance. More than that though, he felt confident, one of his many insecurities was his lack of combat skill and total inexperience with fighting Grimm._

 _He may not still be fighting the Grimm but after killing the number of strange, scary and frankly disturbing looking demons well, who wouldn't be confident?_

" _Don't let it get to your head"_

" _Huh?"_

" _Your powers, don't let it get to your head. As much as I hate to admit it you're still nowhere near your friends' level of skill so don't even think about getting arrogant!"_

" _R-right."_

' _She was right' he thought 'can't be too overconfident.'_

 _It was the same overconfidence that let him fake his way into Beacon and make a fool of himself in front of Weiss and Pyrrha. As a matter fact he's pretty sure he would've ended up being a bloody stain on the Emerald forest floor if it wasn't for Pyrrha's help. He never did repay her for doing that. He never repaid her for taking the time to teach him how to fight._

 _Has he ever done anything for her before?_

" _No you haven't"_ _Crocea spoke._

" _What?"_

" _Your question, no you haven't done a single thing to repay your partner for what she's done for you."_

" _Oh."_

" _You should probably fix that once you get out of here."_

" _You have any advice?"_

" _..actually I do."_

" _What?"_

" _Stop flirting with the Schnee girl for a start."_

 _Jaune blinked, he did not see that coming._

" _And after you do that maybe you could see what's been in front of you this whole time"_ _she finished cryptically._

 _Jaune didn't have time to mull over these words as he reached the final tether, like all the others it was a stone link to a chain only this one was in a high rise building. It almost looked like an arena._

" _That's because it is an arena."_

 _Jaune frowned at his weapon "stop that."_

" _Stop what?"_ _her voice a fake confusion._

" _Reading my mind and answering my questions" it was a little weird the first time but now it was just getting annoying._

" _I didn't have to read your mind for that one Jaune. You're just really easy to read, we're going to work on that too after you defeat the_ _ **Imprisoner**_ _"_

" _The who?"_

 _*GROWL*_

" _Him"_ _she sighed._

 _Jaune glanced to the side to see a big hulking behemoth of a creature walking out of the shadows on two small legs and_ _ **four**_ _hands. Its face oddly enough was a bland porcelain doll mask. The moment it caught sight if Jaune though there was a cracking glass effect as the mask broke apart in four_

 _*ROOOOOAAAAARRRR*_

 _The thing was as big as Deathstalker, as the creature charged Jaune knew one thing was for certain. If he managed to beat this thing, he may never be afraid of another Grimm again._

" _AAAAAHHHHH!" Jaune charged with his own war cry._

 _At the last minute he jumps up and uses angel lift to do a double jump. He landed and turned to see the creature…using its tongue to lick the air._

' _What's it doing?'_

 _Finally the creature charged again and this time Jaune uses angel lift to propel himself away in a long distance barrel roll. Jaune landed in a crouch to observe the creature and again there was a pause as it used its tongue in the air. It turned to him and charged but this stood on its short legs and smashed its four arms where Jaune was._

 _He stopped in his barrel roll and skipped back 'okay so it can't see me and if I'm seeing this right it doesn't have a nose so smelling is out too.' Jaune smiled, a plan already forming._

 _That plan was almost dashed when instead of dashing at him the creature smashed its fist in the ground and shoved it forward. The ground began rushing towards him like an earthy barbwire fence with a low orange glow to it._

 _Naturally Jaune dived out the way but it gave the creature enough time to pinpoint his location and it charged through its own barrier easily to get to him. Like before Jaune did a double jump to land behind it, only he went in close the moment he landed._

 _Several slashes were given each cut drawing blood but Jaune had to dodge a backhand._

 _*ROOOOOAAAAARRRR*_

 _It charged after him and Jaune rolled out the way at the last minute. This time he made sure to keep up with it and when it started using its tongue to feel the air Jaune cut it off. The response was immediate the creature thrashed around and on of it fist hit Jaune square in the shield and sent him into the barrier erected._

 _ ***Boom***_

 _Which promptly exploded launching Jaune in another direction. He rolled to a stop on his back and groaned "they explode great~"_

 _He stood up and shook his head before looking at the creature still thrashing around. That's when it started sending more of those barbwire-like rocks towards him again._

" _Crap!" he scrambled to his feet and ran only to find he was boxed in._

 _The creature roared and charged after him. Without much space to maneuver Jaune did the only thing he could, he hid behind his shield which started to glow. The moment the creature touched it there was a flash of light and the creature was thrown across the arena._

" _Whoa"_

" _Less gawking more fighting!"_

 _Jaune schooled his features, "right!"_

 _Jaune zips forward with a blue-white light propelling him and jumped on the creatures back. After flipping the sword to a reverse grip he stabbed it directly in its head. The creature's movements slow but it didn't stop, he stabs again and continues until it dies. Its body dissolved and something flies into his body._

 _Jaune rubbed his now ruined chest plate, to say that the continued battles weighed on his clothes would be an understatement._

" _What time is it outside?" he asked walking towards the link._

" _I don't know but since your partner didn't visit then it must be early."_

 _Jaune nodded and flipped the sword to a forward grip, his aura enveloped it and with a thrust he sunk it into the stone lock. Like before there was a crack forming throughout the structure and light shined through until._

 _ ***BOOOM***_

 _The first time he did it Jaune was thrown back, now he was smart enough to use his shield and block the impact. After that was done he lowered it to see the shackles gone and the chain linking them crumble. The wings which were bound now begin to rise as does the statue until they are both at full height and expanse. The statue then turns its head slowly to look at Jaune_

' _That's not creepy or anything' he muttered sarcastically._

 _Its eyes begin to shine brightly to the point Jaune had to shield his eyes. Suddenly he found himself going through a blue-white tunnel, there were voices but they were faint and he couldn't pinpoint what they were saying._

 _\_

Jaune's eyes snapped open, he blinked a couple of times and as he tried to ascertain his location he made one assumption _'this is definitely not the infirmary.'_

He looked down to find Crocea Mors lying on his chest with his hands over it like so many traditional Arc funerals. He sat up and stretched, it felt like he slept for a week-oh wait he did. Next he took out the IV and dropped to the floor a little shakily and after a few stretches to loosen up he surveyed the area.

' _This is definitely not the infirmary'_ he immediately deduced.

It wasn't the infirmary but it had a similar setting albeit an inferior one, whatever this room was. He walked straight to the door but paused, he didn't think he was in any danger but that didn't mean he could just relax either. He slowly opened the door to a dimly lit hallway and tentatively walked out.

Okay now he was sure he wasn't in Beacon, Jaune gripped Crocea Mors, his anxiety increased.

' _Calm down Jaune'_

"Crocea?" he looked at his sheathed sword.

' _Yes, I am able to speak to you because you have begun your first step in ascending. I will continue to guide you until I am no longer needed.'_

Jaune took a moment to contemplate this before nodding "do you know where we are?"

'… _not specifically but we're still on Beacon grounds, well below it anyway.'_

"Below?" he asked edging towards the last door down the hallway.

' _Yes, I can feel your partner's presence above us so we must be in the lower levels. They must have moved you from the infirmary.'_

"Wait what do you mean you can feel Pyrrha's presence?"

There was a pause before she spoke _'she was the one who unlocked your Aura Jaune. To do that she used her own and a piece of it was imprinted on you so I can use it to track her whereabouts'_

"Oh" he opened the door a little and looked through. What Jaune saw was a very large walkway with towering pillars. The entire structure was lit by candle which glowed green in color

' _I don't sense anyone else in the area-wait'_

"What is it?"

' _I'm not sure, but it feels…familiar'_

"Dangerous?"

' _No, not dangerous but…'_

"Want me to check it out?"

" _It's probably nothing'_

Jaune shrugged "it's alright, I don't really mind" he began walking "just tell me where to go"

' _Follow the walkway'_

Jaune did as instructed until he came upon a four way path "where to?"

' _Go left'_

Again he followed her instructions and after a few minutes of walking he could vaguely here a series of beeps. Another few seconds he could see something like a cornucopia of random machines _._

' _There, that's it'_

Jaune noted how strange Crocea's voice sounded, almost urgent, he quickened his pace and soon found himself staring in awe and confusion. There was a series of computers between two coffins like pods. One of them was set facing up while the other one was facing forward with an unconscious person inside.

Jaune cautiously approached the machine, his eyes glanced at the computers which showed her vitals and her name.

"Amber" he whispered, the name doesn't ring a bell and he went to the front of the pod to examine her face "do you know her Crocea?"

'…'

"Crocea?" he raised the sword

'….'

"Crocea"

' _I don't know this woman…but I recognize her power from so long ago'_ her voice was wistful _'Autumn, what have they done to you?'_

Her voice was pained, sorrowful and Jaune could feel a pang of sympathy. He took a good look at the comatose girl, she had nasty looking scars over her face. During his observation Crocea Mors started to illuminate.

"Crocea"

' _Place your hand on the glass Jaune. I want to help her'_

"O-okay" he placed his right hand on the glass and almost immediately the traveled from the sword to said hand and eventually into the tube where it enveloped Amber.

The entire time Jaune could feel a draining sensation "C-Crocea what's happening?"

'… _a miracle'_ was the answer before the area was blanketed in light.

\

Dante had to admit breakfast was a 'bittersweet affair' as Vergil would phrase it. On the bright side he could see Nero was willingly talking to Ruby…nothing intimate they were just talking about weapons.

' _It's a start'_

Secondly he could see Blake not acting like bitch, the black circles under her eyes were gone which meant she actually slept. Most importantly she was talking to Sun, or at least she wasn't avoiding or ignoring him. His eyes locked with Yang's and he jerked his head towards the Faunus pair. Her eyes flashed to them and a triumphant and she gave a thumbs up.

' _That's my girl'_ he thought with sly smirk which she returned.

The abrupt cold front caused the smirk to freeze of their face _'which brings us to the downside'_

Weiss was being cold, frigid and even Dante wasn't dumb enough to comment on that and it wasn't because Yang warned him about it. He knew it was about her secret rendezvous with Neptune. Dante had a feeling one of them would have asked the other out to the dance and thought Neptune was doing the waiting game.

Obviously Weiss cracked first and took the initiative. Considering their not all flirty or even sitting close meant that she got turned down. Why in the hell he would turn her down is a very good question and he wanted to ask but Sun advised against it. The monkey Faunus said it was personal and that was the only reason why he was holding himself back.

For his part Neptune seemed oddly frustrated, he had this deep contemplative look while Weiss who sat the furthest away from him, distracted herself with her partner's conversation and even answered some Dust related questions. This

And don't even get him started with (J)NPR, they were utterly inconsolable. Judging by Pyrrha's even more destitute look and the concerned stares Ren and Nora threw he could only guess she told them about her situation. Again Dante couldn't do anything about it and it was really started to grate on his nerves, he was very much used to speaking his mind.

"Hey Yang" he asked the girl across from him.

"Hmm?" she acknowledged with a full mouth.

"Wanna go in the Emerald forest and kill some Grimm?"

This sparked a few head turns and Vergil sighed "Dante Beacon ahs training facilities for that"

"Hey the way I see it, I'm saving this place a few hundred thousand bucks in replacing those droids. You know me, when I cut I _**cut loose**_ " the last words were pronounced with a red flash of his eyes and his voice going slightly demonic.

"Besides" he continued "we'd be doing the environment a favor getting rid of those hell spawns"

Vergil didn't refute that but he still had an issue "the faculty forbids any students from going into the Emerald forest because its danger…ous" he slowed when he realized the words exiting his mouth.

Dante lowered his head and raised an eyebrow " _really"_

Okay he admits he was literally reciting a rule he read and it wouldn't apply to Dante since he doubted there was _anything_ in that forest that was a real danger to his brother.

"Point taken, but that doesn't mean Yang can go with-"

"Hey Yang can take care of herself" said blonde said taking offense.

"Trust me, you haven't seen her fight, goldie locks can kick ass. I'm pretty sure her team can vouch for her."

Vergil looked at said team and they gave nods "you'll be in trouble with Miss Goodwitch."

"Pssh" he waved it off "like we aren't still in trouble for sneaking off campus to a shady night club."

"Need I remind you the only reason why you got a slap on the wrist was because by sheer dumb luck it was demon hideout?"

"Yeah and who knows maybe we'll find another one in the Emerald Forest. You know I'm the one who always ends up in limbo."

"Quite" Vergil replied dryly.

Dante sighed "fine"

Vergil raised an eyebrow "really, you're letting this go?"

"Oh yeah, why go into the 'dangerous' Emerald forest when we have" he leaned forward with a coy smirk "The Bloody Palace."

Vergil's eyes widened before they narrowed "no."

"Oh come on we had this conversation already Verg!"

"I remember it, you annoyed me and I ignored you."

"Either you get us there or I announce the little club you have with Blake and Ren."

Blake's brow twitched and en paused in drinking his tea. They both stared at each other before their gaze fell on Vergil who himself looked shocked.

"How did I know?" he smirked folding his arm leaning back "I have my ways."

Vergil gritted his teeth "damn you Dante"

"That a yes? Cause I'm feeling really chatty."

His gaze went to Blake then Ren and he sighed "fine but one hour" he said with finality "and I'm shutting you down."

"What's Bloody Palace?" Nora enquired.

"Imagine this Nora, a room full of demons for you to destroy with no repercussions for going overboard."

The smile on Nora seemed to perk up at the mention of demons and turned to Ren "Renny we _have_ to go!"

"Nora.." he tried to placate tiredly, he really wasn't in the mood to fight Grimm, that was her way of releasing stress, his was to meditate and calm himself.

Pretty hard to do that fighting Grimm.

"But Renny~" she gave him the puppy dog pout, the same one that could make his indomitable will crumble.

"Oh don't worry Ren I can look after her for ya" Dante suggested.

Ren looked at him, part of the reason why he always followed her was because Nora could get out of hand and he would usually reign her in. for the short time he's known her Dante has surprisingly developed a similar way to placate her. Also Nora trusted him almost as much as she does him, not even Jaune worked that fast.

Then again Dante wasn't shy or awkward, he still wasn't sure.

"Can I Renny?" Nora suddenly asked.

His eyes flashed to Pyrrha, she dropped a bombshell on them and the ensuing conversation/ argument wasn't a pretty one. He could tell the decision was eating at her core but honestly it wasn't even theirs to make and right now the team was fragmented at the moment.

"Alright Nora" she could do to blow off some steam.

The girl beamed and looked to Pyrrha a similar confirmation, the redhead flashed a tired smile "I think that sounds…grand"

Nora faltered a bit but nonetheless jumped to her feet "yay~"

"You in Nero?"

Hunting monsters in the forest? That's definitely up the two youngest members' alley however they had their reservations about it. For Ruby she was already on thin ice with Goodwitch about the stunt they pulled on the highway. For Nero they were still working on Red Queen and he wanted to test its new modifications.

So it is with a heavy heart that Nero spoke "not this time."

"Oh, I guess you and Ruby have better things to do huh?"

"Ye-HMPH!?"

"Don't answer that, it's a trap" he spoke with his hand over her mouth.

"Tch"

"Ice queen?"

"No" Weiss growled.

"Brr" Dante mocked shuddered "and the _other_ happy couple" he looked to Blake and Sun.

"Sure" Sun agreed.

"I'll pass" Blake said uncomfortably.

"Verg?"

"I have some business to take care of" he cryptically

"Your loss" he shrugged.

Unknown to everyone, Vergil, Blake and Ren briefly locked eyes with each other and they did a subtle nod.

 _The Beacon Secret Book Lovers Club will meet again._

"Nep?"

"I" his eyes subtly glanced at Weiss "I, yeah I'm in" he looked from her.

Dante saw the sideways glance to Weiss "you sure about that?"

There was a beat before he nodded "yeah."

"Alright so I guess we-"

Dante paused and he looked in a certain direction along with Vergil, Nero and surprisingly Ruby.

"W-what is that?" the younger Huntress-in-training questioned.

Nero looked to her "you felt that?"

"Uh yeah."

"Felt what?" Yang questioned looking at them.

"Angelic power" Nero informed.

"It seems that Jaune woke up" Vergil deduced.

Pyrrha perked up and Nora exclaimed "really!?"

The truth is Nora and Ren haven't seen their leader since they moved him to the lower levels and Pyrrha has been meeting him behind their backs.

Vergil got up "I'm going to go greet him."

"I'm coming with you" Pyrrha spoke.

"Us too" Nora second.

Vergil paused and that's when Ren spoke in a hushed tone "we already know about the lower levels."

Vergil blinked "well since you put it like that I guess I have no reason to stop you."

"We should go too."

"I don't think we should" Dante spoke.

"Why not?"

"That's cause Ozpin or better yet, _Goodwitch_ won't allow so many people in the basement. We should wait until he comes here."

\

Ozpin and Glynda made their way through the lower levels. He had been in his office when he felt an all too familiar surge of power. The response had been immediate as he made his way to the elevator with Glynda in tow. He couldn't give her a reason as to why he wanted to check on Jaune because he couldn't quite describe what he felt.

They made their way briskly towards where the Fall Maiden was being kept and the light was beginning to fade. It was here that they saw Jaune Arc, his body glowing white and an even brighter light covering Amber.

"Mr. Arc!" Glynda yelled and was about to pull him away from the pod. Glynda found herself barred from doing any further action by Ozpin "sir?"

Ozpin didn't say anything, he only stared at the boy in…awe. Glynda had never seen that expression on Ozpin's face before. Her attention went back to Jaune when he stumbled back and fell on his rear. As the light around Amber diminished the professors chose that time to approach the boy.

"Mr. Arc"

The boy flinched and turned around to come face to face with two of the biggest authorities in Beacon.

He scrambled to his feet "p-professors" he stuttered.

"What were you doing Mr. Arc?" Ozpin questioned calmly.

"Uh" he glanced over his shoulder then back at them "a miracle?" he guessed.

Glynda frowned "this is not the time for jokes Mr. Arc" she said sternly and Jaune shrunk a little, he was always afraid of her.

Ozpin meanwhile approached the pod Amber resided in, the last vestiges of the light receded and it could be his imagination but he could have swore her scarring was more…pronounced than how it currently looked.

Suddenly the machine went off in a series of beeps, getting everyone's attention. Ozpin glanced at it before they rested on the Fall Maiden who began to stir. Ozpin's eyes widened and Glynda saw this and was speechless.

"It can't be" Ozpin whispered.

The brunette's eyes snapped open, she frantically looked around the unfamiliar surroundings, her hands banged on the glass.

"Amber" he tried to speak but she was banging on the glass so hard.

Ozpin went to the control panel to open the door but it was too late. Amber's eyes glowed a menacing amber and with a burst of flames the glass door blew out.

The Fall Maiden stumbled out and groggily held her head "Amber" Ozpin said while slowly approaching her.

Amber's head snapped in his direction, her eyes smoldering brightly and fires building up. Ozpin in turn dropped his cane and raised his hand up in a gesture.

"W-who are you?"

"My name is Ozpin."

"Ozpin" she echoed trying to remember where she knew that name from "where am I?" she demanded leveling her palms out to him where a ball of fire stayed.

"You are at Beacon Academy, in the lower levels."

Beacon, that's where she heard that name before, Ozpin was its headmaster but why was she here? She looked around and saw two more individuals looking at her in bewilderment but for completely different reasons.

"Amber.."

"STAY BACK" she yelled and Ozpin stopped his advance.

Once more she looked at her surrounding trying to figure a way out "what is the last thing you remembered?" he asked.

Amber paused, the last thing she remembered? She was riding her horse…to meet someone. They knew she was a Maiden, which no one was supposed to know. Said there might be people after her and set up a meeting. Her eyes shifted recalling the events.

"I-I was ambushed" she recalled.

"What else do you remember?" Ozpin pressed gently.

"I…we fought and they…they overpowered me" she remembered something hitting her blindspot and she fell then..then.

The flame disrupted and she dropped to her knees clutching her face "Oh Monty!" tears started leaking through her eyes.

She remembered something attaching to her face.

She remembered her power life, her _**life**_ literally draining from her.

She remembered _her_ face, _she_ was smiling at her, relishing her torment.

Amber's sorrow turned to righteous fury as her eyes glowed like her namesake.

Seeing this Ozpin turned to the blondes "Glynda!" he managed to get out.

"AAAARGH!" There was an explosion of fire when Amber smashed both fist on the ground.

When the flames seceded the technology which held her was completely destroyed, as and soot marked the area. Glynda had hastily erected a Glyph barrier around herself and Jaune who had managed to whip out his shield with surprising speed. Ozpin had his hand outstretched where a swirling green barrier made entirely of his Aura formed around him.

Amber was still crying even when it was over and Ozpin could only feel sympathy for the poor girl. From what he understood she was literally on the brink of death before Qrow saved her, he had seen some promising Huntsmen and Huntresses end their careers for the very same reason.

Ozpin tried to approach her again "Amber-"

"She enjoyed it" she spoke in a hushed tone causing him to pause "when she was sucking the life out of me" she looked at Ozpin, a scowl on her partially scarred features "I looked in her eyes and begged for my life and she smiled at me."

Ozpin's expression was stern "we're doing all we can to find those responsible."

Amber looked at her hand then at the almost destroyed machine "what happened to me…after?"

"Qrow managed before they completely took your powers."

"So that's what they were after" she gave a sardonic scoff "of course they were after _that_ " she spat with a frown.

"He saved your life but you were in critical condition. You would have eventually died if we didn't place you in..stasis so to speak."

"Then how am I, awake right now" she raised a confused eyebrow.

Ozpin turned his head "I believe that question can only be answered by Mr. Arc."

Amber followed his gaze to come face to face with a younger blonde boy who just attached the sword to his hip.

Jaune gave a nervous grin "h-hi, autumn" he said lamely.

The Fall Maiden blinked "it's Amber actually" she corrected with a puzzled expression.

Glynda coughed in her fist "perhaps we should reconvene this conversation once you are more decent Amber"

And with that said everyone now became aware of Amber's state of dress, it wasn't anything risqué. A white strapless sports bra and matching white biker shorts that hugged her hips. Nothing too risqué but Jaune couldn't help but stare at all the uncovered places, like her flat stomach and toned legs.

Amber looked down at herself and gave an "oh" but didn't seem too bothered by it, not like she was in her underwear.

She did catch Jaune staring though and he immediately ceased his ogling by staring her in the eye "sorry" he apologized while scratching the back of his head.

Amber managed to stifle a giggle "I'd be offended if you weren't affected" she quipped and Jaune's eyebrows quirked.

Hey she may not look it but she had proud of her body, if she couldn't get a clearly hormonal teenage boy to look at her then it would be a blow to her pride.

Ozpin watched the scene with a small smile, another unexpected turn of events but he was far from bothered by it. At least now he won't have to be forced to use drastic measures in making sure the Maidens powers don't fall into the hands of those who would misuse them.

"Ugh" Amber stumbles and is caught by Ozpin

"Take some time, you've been in stasis for a long time now"

"How long?"

"8 months"

Amber's eyes widened, 8 months, she'd been stuck here for almost a year. Oh Dust, her family, her life, they must..

"I-I have to go home"

"You can't, we still don't know who those people are. For all we know they could be searching for you as we speak"

Amber gritted her teeth but conceded "what now"

He looked to Glynda "first Glynda will give you back your clothes and weapon"

Said blonde stepped forward "yes now if you'll follow me" Glynda walked away and Amber followed into step.

Jaune watched them go but his attention was detracted by Ozpin "Mr. Arc" he turned to see the Headmaster retrieve his cane "follow me, let's have a discussion about what just occurred" he ordered while walking.

Jaune followed the same direction as the girls who turned off while they went the same direction.

"I believe you have questions as well?"

"Y-yeah"

"You may ask and I will answer to the best of abilities"

"Where are we?"

"We are I the lower levels of the Academy"

"I didn't know we had lower levels"

Ozpin chuckled "it was not meant to be public knowledge Jaune" he said.

That was the first time Ozpin used his first name "so who was that and why was she in that pod"

That was two questions but Ozpin didn't point that out "her name is Amber and to understand why she was in the pod let me ask you, do you know the story of the seasons"

Yes he did…wait.

Then it came to him, "she's the Fall Maiden" he realized, it's the reason why Crocea called her autumn but how did she know her. He didn't know Crocea has been quiet since she _healed_ her.

Ozpin was generally surprised he made that deduction _'peculiar'_ Jaune was by no means a fool though he acted one but that was more perceptive than usual.

After explaining the gist of what happened to Amber Ozpin can see the deep frown across the boy's features, his grip on Crocea Mors tightened visibly until his knuckles were white.

"There was a 0% chance she would ever wake up from the coma let alone make a full recovery since her power was tied to her Aura, her soul and her assailant drained it. My question to you is, how did you do it Jaune?"

They stopped at the elevator and Ozpin pressed the button to call it down, giving Jaune some time to think of an answer. Crocea Mors was still silent so he gave the only answer he knew

"I don't know."

Ozpin looked at him closely and Jaune met his gaze unflinching which was out of character "you don't?"

"Like I said, I touched the glass and it happened."

That wasn't the whole story Ozpin knew, he was being oddly secretive but for what reason he doesn't know.

*Ding*

"Jaune…"

Ozpin never got to finish his sentence as a pair of loud voices shouted.

"JAUNE!"

"JAUNEY!"

As by instinct Jaune's legs bent and he went low as a pink blur assaulted him. Nora collided with him with the speed of bullet and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug.

No seriously, it was literally crushing him, she was pouring a bit of Aura in her arms and whatever he did to wake Amber took almost all his Aura.

"No..ra, need air…crushing"

Immediately the girl let go with a sheepish look "sorry"

"It's okay" he shrugged rubbing his shoulder a bit.

Nora paused and narrowed her eyes while leaning forward in his personal space.

"Uh Nora" he leaned back "remember that talk we had about _boundaries_?"

Nora blinked and leaned away with a contemplative expression and circled him while proding different parts of his body.

"Nora."

*Poke* *Poke* *Poke* *Poke*

Jaune sighed and caught her hand "Nora, please stop."

Nora could only stare at his hand holding her own before he let go. She then hummed and gave what Jaune dubbed the 'thinking pose.'

"What?" he asked spreading his arms a little.

It wasn't just her either but switching his gaze he could also see Ozpin, Ren, Vergil and Pyrrha giving him an appraising look.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" he frowned in confusion.

Vergil coughed "sorry for staring Jaune it's just that you look" he paused "different."

Jaune's eyebrows quirked "I do?" he looked over himself, he didn't feel any different although he supposed he should considering he unlocked some kind of angelic power.

"Yeah~" Nora chirped circling her 'supposed' leader with a suspicious expression "are you sure you're fearless leader?"

Jaune could only raise an eyebrow, he really had no idea what they were talking about "Nora of course it's me who else would it be?" he argued.

In hindsight maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask Nora for her opinion on a conspiracy for the simple fact that her opinion is _everyone's_ opinion. As Nora rattles off the many, many things that could be wrong with her leader the others couldn't help but stare at him.

Now every Hunter who knows their salt on combat can pick up the subtle nuance of an enemy's battle awareness and between a veteran Huntsman, master swordsman, disciplined martial artist and seasoned champion they've definitely picked up more than a few with Jaune.

First of all even though he's engaging in idle chatter, they could see his posture is set in a way that makes for swift retaliation against an opponent. The way how he's gripping Crocea Mors would allow for quick draw of the blade and expansion of the shield. Then again the fact that he's holding the sword instead of clipping it to his hip really says something.

For Pyrrha and even Ren who have known him and been close to him for an entire semester the changes went more deeply. He stood straighter, his voice was slightly deeper and he didn't fumble his words or whine. Pyrrha and Ren glanced at Vergil who shrugged response to their unanswered question.

Vergil eventually coughs loudly, interrupting Nora as he stepped forward "Jaune, how do you feel?"

"I feel fine, actually I feel great. All things considered." He answered truthfully.

"Do you feel _different_?"

Jaune blinked as he looked at the Nephilm "not really" he frowned a bit while looking at his fist "by the way, I know what you did" he stared right in his eyes,

"What do you mean?"

Jaune took a deep calming breath and glared at him "poured angelic power into Crocea Mors so that I could unlock the angelic power stored inside" he summarized.

Vergil was slightly surprised by this, as was Ozpin and Pyrrha "and how did you come to this conclusion?"

He held up his weapon "Crocea told me."

"I see.."

"What does that mean?" Pyrrha interrupted.

"It means exactly as how Jaune described it. The spirit of his sword informed him about what has happened."

' _Things just keep getting more and more interesting'_ Ozpin thought, he decided to let this play out without interrupting.

Nora zipped over "you mean you talked to your sword!?" she exclaimed "can you do that with Mjonir?" he pushed the weapon in his face.

"Uh, that's not how it works Nora" Jaune replied then turned to Vergil "tell her Verg" he says before making his way to his other teammates.

"Hey Ren, Pyr" he greets.

"I'm glad you are alright" the stoic boy spoke.

"Yeah, turns out I wasn't really in any danger" well he could mention the life and death struggles inside his mindscape but really if he did 'die' he would have just been booted out the mindscape back to consciousness.

"So, did I miss anything?" he looked between them.

Ren's eyes inched to Pyrrha a tad and he turned to his partner "Pyrrha?"

The redhead had been quiet ever since the elevator doors opened, choosing to observe his interactions.

"N-nothing, everything is fine" she replied with a slight stutter.

Jaune's smile dropped and he looked between both of them "alright what's going on? Did something happen while I was out?" he asked bluntly peering into his partner's eyes.

Pyrrha like Vergil before was a little taken aback with his directness "I-" she looked to the headmaster and so did Jaune.

Ozpin's expression sobered "I believe Mr. Arc has a right to know, especially since it wouldn't matter."

Pyrrha was confused by his words "a right to know what?" Jaune spoke "Pyr, what's going on?"

"Allow me to explain Mr. Arc" Ozpin supplied.

By the end of the explanation Jaune was silent, visibly upset but he wasn't lashing out. Ozpin could see by the look in his eyes that the blonde no longer viewed him as before.

Jaune took a long calming breath before he turned to Pyrrha "did you make a decision?"

Pyrrha looks down "no I-" she never got a chance to finish as he hugged her gently "J-Jaune?" to say Pyrrha was shocked would be an understatement

"I'm sorry" he apologized before letting her go and taking a step back for space "and yeah I know I couldn't help not being there but" he paused to look in her eyes "I can tell it's been eating at you."

"You…can?" Pyrrha questioned in mild disbelief.

Of course it's been eating at her, every minute of every day ever since Ozpin told her but she had been confident she could hide it. The least is that seeing him recovered would overwrite the mood she had been in lately.

Jaune smiled "either way it doesn't matter anymore" he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Now Pyrrha was confused as was everyone else besides Ozpin whom some looked to "it appears that Mr. Arc has performed a" he paused and smiled "miracle."

Just then footsteps could be heard from behind and Jaune stepped aside so as to not obscure her view. In the distance she could see professor Goodwitch walking alongside a dark skinned woman with brown hair. A gasp left Pyrrha's mouth and she covered it, she looked to Jaune in total shock and he could see the question forming.

"I, uh, healed her" he gave the simplest answer as to what he did.

"You… _healed_ her?" she questioned slowly.

"Yeah" he smiled "but don't ask how because I have no idea" he added.

At that moment it felt as if the world was lifted off her shoulders. She looked at Jaune, he did that for her. She..words couldn't possible describe just how much she appreciated what he's done for her. Pyrrha felt like she would cry tears of joy and relief but her disciplined mind absolutely refuse to do so.

The Maiden's powers were a privilege of the highest order for any warrior to have, Ozpin chose her as the next in line to have them. She couldn't, no wouldn't express anything that would affront his decision or the powers.

Any other thoughts were halted when the Maiden approached them, Pyrrha noticed her face was still scarred and she carried a quarter staff with a Dust crystal tied at both ends.

Ozpin looked to the young Maiden "how are you feeling Amber?"

Amber took a moment to contemplate her answer before speaking "I feel…weird" she frowned and looked at her hands.

"But you're okay right?" Jaune questioned a little worriedly.

Amber nodded "yes I'm fine. Jaune was it?"

He nodded "yeah, Jaune Arc."

Amber smiled pleasantly and held out her hand "Amber Russet."

Jaune took her hand and gave a firm shake before the girl pulled him into an abrupt hug "thank you" she whispered shakily in his ear.

Jaune was flabbergasted for a moment but returned the gesture regardless. It was by pure brotherly instinct, he could hear the terror in her voice and could compare it to when his younger sister would run to is room during a thunderstorm.

"No problem" he said sympathetically, whatever happened to her to make her be in that state must have been traumatic.

Amber parted from him and her eyes flickered to Pyrrha, she couldn't help but notice the strange look she was getting from the redhead. Amber then allowed her hands to part from Jaune's and she could see the girl's muscle relax somewhat.

' _Could she be..'_ Amber backed away a bit and noted how Pyrrha advanced a step to be directly beside him.

' _Yep, territorial'_ her eyes flickered between the two of them.

"Hello Amber my name is…"

"Pyrrha Nikos" the Maiden finished "I know, I'm from Mistral."

"Oh" was all the champion managed to say.

"I actually made a lot of money off you in the betting pool during your first tournament" Amber truthfully jests in lieu of the redhead's clear discomfort.

"Well, I- you're welcome?" Pyrrha didn't really know how to respond to that, she was used to making conversations if only because it was required but come on this was _the_ Fall Maiden, a vehemently legendary figure partially responsible for shaping her to be where she is now.

The moment was broken by Jaune's stomach growling earning him glances and a giggle from Nora.

The boy rubbed the back of his head with a nervous chuckle "heh, heh uh did I mention I haven't eaten anything solid in five days?"

An even louder growl accompanied his own and everyone's attention turned to the blushing Fall Maiden "try 8 months" she gave a wry smile.

"Point" he conceded.

With that unanimous decision they entered the elevator and once they arrived at Ozpin's office he stepped out "Amber could I have a moment of your time?"

She raised an eyebrow "um *GROWL* could it wait?"

Ozpin chuckled "I will have something delivered in a moment, please" he urged.

Amber could only sigh as she and Glynda exited the elevator while the others went down. Ozpin took a seat while Glynda went about ordering breakfast

"Can you make that an extra serving please" Amber piped.

Glynda nodded "of course."

"What is it that you want to know Ozpin?"

He took a sip from his mug and placed it down, his expression took one of the utmost seriousness as he steeple his fingers.

"Amber we know that your power or at least part of it was stolen from you" he began and paused "can you please describe your attackers."

Amber gulped, she knew this was coming sooner or later, at least he doesn't beat around the bush with it.

"There were three of them. One was a girl, dark skin with olive green hair and red eyes. The second was a boy with ashen hair and prosthetic legs. The third was" she paused, her mouth turned dry, she swallowed "the third was another woman, older than the other two, I think about my age maybe older, I don't know. Anyway she had amber eyes, black hair and wore a red dress."

Glynda watched on sympathetically as she saw the girl's hands begin to shake.

"I know this is hard for you" Ozpin said sympathetically "but we have reason to believe the person or group is here in Vale" his expression turned Grimm "they may have spies who have infiltrated Beacon."

Amber's eyes widened "what!?" she shot to her feet.

"Calm down" he tried to placate.

"Calm down!? They-"

"We don't know who they might be. If possible and the person who did this is here we can alert our allies if they manage to see them."

Amber sat down and released a breath "I-I'm sorry it's just" she released a puff of air with hands covering her face.

"I know."

Amber sighed again "how do you know its _them_ specifically"

"Before the start of the new year Glynda encountered a woman able to advanced fire spells without a noticeable Dust conduit"

Amber was now wringing her hand.

"She wore a red dress and her eyes glowed amber." Glynda recounted.

"It's her, that happens when I use my Maiden powers" she frowned "I guess its _her_ power now. Am I even the Fall maiden anymore?"

"Of course you are" Ozpin assured adamantly "Amber you are the true Fall Maiden, never doubt that. You were rightfully given your powers while she, whoever this woman is resorted to petty theft. We will find this woman amber and I swear to you I will personally see to the full restoration of your power. "

Glynda had to take a second glance at her friend. Contrary to his cool façade Ozpin is a very passionate person and when he says something he will do all in his power to ensure it happens and seeing the fire in his eyes, if it just so happens that the only way to restore her powers is to end the perpetrator then….

She truly pities the woman.

"I- thank you." Amber said not quite sure to make of Ozpin's statement. She supposed she should be grateful but the way how he said it comes across as…personal to her.

Ozpin nodded "Glynda run those three descriptions through the Academy database. If they should come up with any positive match then please alert me first"

"Understood sir."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Ozpin questioned softly.

As if something click, there was something else but "no that's all but may I ask how I got here? I mean I remember someone intervened but I blacked out a second later."

"That would be our associate Qrow, he was the one you were supposed to meet before you were ambushed."

"Is he here?"

"I'm afraid he's on a mission outside Vale."

"Oh" Amber looked a little disappointed she wanted to thank her savior.

There was a lapse of silence only interrupted by Ozpin sipping his coffee.

 ***GROWL***

"Wow that breakfast is sure taking its time" she joked.

Glynda shook her head slightly while Ozpin smiled "indeed."

"…"

"…"

"..this is a weird transmission but can I use your bathroom?" she suddenly said urgently.

Both professors could only share a glance at the change of topics.

\

Pyrrha sat on the bed inside their dorm, it's the first place Jaune went to instead of the cafeteria. Because he had a iron grip on his sword despite being unconscious they couldn't remove his blazer so they left him with his clothes on for five days. It just didn't feel right to still be wearing his uniform.

That and he had to use the bathroom, like pronto. He actually ran all the way to the dorms with surprising speed right after the elevator doors opened. Pyrrha of course followed but Ren Nora and Vergil decided to go back to the cafeteria.

So here she was sitting on her bed twiddling her thumbs trying to figure out a way to properly convey her thanks for what he did. Or if she should do that? He didn't know, at least not to what extent, he helped her. She was really conflicted though, on one hand she really _did_ want to thank him but on the other hand her pride as a fighter didn't want to reveal any weakness.

That was only part of the reason why she was sticking close.

If Pyrrha were to be honest she just wanted to be near him. She didn't know what it was but ever since she came within close proximity to him she felt, light. He had this aura about him now she couldn't explain that made him more appealing.

She pinched her chin in thought _'it must be that angelic power'_ she thought.

It made sense, it felt like a weak version of that light she was bathed in before.

*Creak*

Pyrrha's gaze snapped to the door and Jaune walked out decked in his combat gear and Pyrrha didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed. No- she shook her head- she will _not_ go down that road. Pyrrha Nikos will not reduce herself to ogling her partner.

"You know you didn't _have_ to wait for me Pyr" he clipped Crocea Mors to his hip.

"It's alright, I've already eaten breakfast" he eyes drifted to a random textbook "and I figured I could catch you up on what you missed."

Jaune groaned miserably "now I wished I stayed in the coma" he whined.

Pyrrha smiled and stifled a giggle.

"Well we should get to the cafeteria before breakfast is over" he said and they exited the room.

Pyrrha said she'd talk about what he missed but in truth she liked the comfortable silence they lapsed in.

That silence was broken by Jaune "so the dance is today-tonight"

Pyrrha stiffened a little "yes it is."

"Oh, I figured" he paused "so did you get a date? No wait that's a dumb question of course you did, who wouldn't ask you out?"

Pyrrha winced slightly, she wanted to say _"you'd be surprised"_ but refrained.

Instead she smiled wryly "I'm afraid not"

Jaune looked at her with bewilderment " _not_?" she nodded in confirmation "how? I mean you're" he gestured to all of her as if words couldn't describe her.

Eventually he spoke "you're so awesome, I thought you would be beating guys off you with Milo. I mean I know I would" he added with a shrug before cupping his chin "actually I _did_ "

Pyrrha felt flattered but continued "yes well, not everyone is like you Jaune" she assured.

To her surprise he grimaced "I hope not, that wasn't my finest hour."

Oh right the flirting, he must be referring to Weiss' reaction because she found his attempts humorous at least.

"It wasn't _that_ bad" Monty knows she's experienced worse, much worse and from men much older *shudder.*

"Pyrrha, you pinned me to the locker" he deadpanned.

Her eyes widened, oh shoot she forgot about that. What was she supposed to say to try and salvage this

"I-um. I'm sorry?"

' _Stupid, smooth Nikos, really smooth now he hates me'_

Jaune barked out a laugh "you don't need to apologize, I deserved it" he said with a sad undertone.

Nobody deserved to be pinned to a locker for harmless flirting.

"So I guess we're both dateless" he went back on topic.

That stiffness came again as she responded "it appears so"

 _Thump-thump_

"Yeah" he looked off to the side a she spoke "well I was thinking…"

She looked to him "yes?"

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump_

"The dance…"

' _Is he going to..'_

 _Thump-thump- thump-thump-thump-thump_

"You wanna go-"

' _Yes'_

"together"

' _YES!'_

"-as friends?"

' _NO!'_

Pyrrha stared at him before she smiled brightly, trying to subdue her joy a bit.

"I think that would be _grand._ "

Jaune gave her what she dubbed the 'Arc smile' and hers widened just a little.

"Awesome!"

They both entered the cafeteria and while Jaune made a b-line for the food Pyrrha broke off (reluctantly) to join her friends. Jaune came back with a mountain of food for three people

"Hey guys" he greeted putting his heavy tray down.

"Jaune!" Ruby beamed.

"Welcome back to the land of the living vomit boy."

Jaune went to eat and looked around the table. Yang and Dante were across from each other, Sun and Blake were noticeably closer than he remember as were Nero and Ruby. That was expected, what he didn't expect was for Weiss and Neptune to be so far apart. They were all friendly with each other when he was awake.

"So, uh, what did I miss?"

Dante shrugged "nothing much. We were planning on hunting Grimm in the Emerald Forest, wanna come?"

Jaune's eyebrows quirked and Pyrrha's brow furrowed "I don't think it would be a good ide-"

"Sure" he smiled.

Pyrrha and the rest of his team looked at him "Jaune, you just came out of a coma, I don't think it would be wise to do this."

"I already bought my suite for the dance and it's not like I have anything better to do" he shrugged "besides I could use the exercise."

"That a boy Jaune" he stood up "whelp, I think I'm heading for the cliffs, when you're done meet me there so we can solve the forests' overpopulation problem the old fashioned way" he cracked his knuckles.

"Yeah!" Nora cheered with a positively vicious grin

"Hell yes!" yang whooped before something cold on her shoulder caused her to stop.

" _You're_ not going anywhere Xiao Long" Weiss said in a cold voice "we still have last minute adjustments to make before tonight and no I will not cover for you" she paused "on second thought go ahead and do whatever it is you want to do."

"And let you ruin the dance before it even starts? Not happening princess" she looked regretfully at Dante "looks I'll have to take a rain check on that."

"No sweat" Dante smiled and as if just remembering something asked "so anyone asked you to the dance yet?"

"Yep" she said popping the 'p' "I'm still available though."

"Not if you agree to be my date for the dance" he said suavely.

Yang raised an eyebrow "smooth Casanova."

Dante shrugged "is that yes?"

She folded her arms "let me think about that. Hmm~ sure why not but I'm going early to greet the guests so meet me at the dance."

"It's a date" he grinned.

Then as if just realizing they had an audience they both turned their head slightly to see that the entire table and cafeteria was staring at them with a level of incredulity.

They only had one thing to say to the numerous stares ""What?""

\

"I can't believe you did that in front of the entire cafeteria" Sun said.

Dante shrugged "well it's something I've been putting off but better late than never, am I right?"

Sun smiled "yeah, better late than never" he's just glad Blake reconsidered calling it off "so with this I guess we all have dates."

Dante elbowed him gently and shook his head in Neptune's direction.

Sun winced taking a glance at his irritated partner "sorry dude."

Neptune sighed "its fine" he held his head down.

Jaune took note of this "w-wait, _you_ don't have a date to the dance?"

Jaune wasn't sure what his relationship with Neptune would be, yes he was still jealous about him getting in Weiss' good graces faster than him but he effectively gave up asking her out if she was obviously interested in the bluenette like he remembered.

Neptune frowned "no I don't" Jaune looked at him in disbelief "is it that hard to believe I don't have a date?"

" **Yes"** Jaune, Dante, Sun and Nora said simultaneously.

"Well I don't'

"W-what about Weiss."

Neptune winced, the memory of last night surfacing "she's available I guess, so you can ask her."

Pyrrha's eyes widened in panic and she glanced at Jaune worriedly

 _He wouldn't abandon her for Weiss would he?_

Jaune frowned and shook his head "I'm already going with Pyrrha so, no."

 _Pause_

Everyone looked to the pair and while Pyrrha stiffened, willing her flush away Jaune just looked confused "what? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"Did, did you really ask Pyrrha to the dance?" Nora questioned with contained glee.

Did he finally get it? Did he finally see the writing on the wall?

Was she going to be able to collect early on that bet she had with RWBY?

"Well yeah" he seriously had no idea what their problem was.

"Can you say it on record?" Nora shoved a scroll in his face.

Okay this was getting ridiculous, he pushed the scroll away from him "can we go now, please?"

"Oh sure" Dante nodded and they went to DVN's room.

Nora stayed back with Pyrrha and did a silent squeal while holding the girl in a bear hug of bone crunching proportions

"I'm so happy for you!"

Pyrrha smiled uneasily, she just didn't have the heart to tell her about the 'just friends' tag. Then again Jaune didn't say it either, hmm.

\

"Well here we are" Vergil announced.

Jaune looked around "when did you guys install a flat screen TV?" he asked in astonishment.

"Oh that, a few days ago" Dante shrugged.

"So how are we getting to this Bloody Palace?" Neptune raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah" piped Nora with three grenade belts hanging from her frame "I'm ready to smash some demons!"

"Uh Nora, those aren't the _experimental_ grenades are they?" Nora's reply was to give an innocent smile to which Jaune nodded in understanding "oh, okay." He scooted closer to his partner who also looked worried.

Nora's experiments tend to make things go boom in a really big way.

Ignoring this Vergil outstretched his hand with Yamato appearing in blue particles. Before anyone can question what he was about to do Vergil slashed the air opening a blue portal before sheathing his blade.

"Remember Dante, until lunch" he stressed before standing aside.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go guys."

Dante went in first, Sun trusted Dante so he braved inside, Neptune followed more warily while Nora barreled through and finally Jaune led a reluctant Pyrrha inside. Vergil then set the timer and closed the portal.

' _I can't believe I let him talk me into this'_ he sighed.

 _To Be Continued_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: I really planned for the dance to be included in this chapter but then I wrote and the conversation went into Dante's random suggestion of fighting Grimm in the Emerald forest. But then I thought it was too bland not to mention this was a Jaune-centric chapter and JNPR had been the least exposed to demons then I thought…Bloody Palace.**

 **Hey if it can be room where you fight hordes of demons in the game it sure as hell can be a room in that big ass mansion to help keep them in shape. It sounds plausible when you think about it. In the DmC game Dante goes to a bunch of different rooms where he basically gets Ophion and traverses the place, hell demons even pop up to fight him.**

 **Why can't Eva and Sparda (ancient and powerful, angel and demon) make a sort of training room for their children to fight demons under their supervision?**

 **So yeah, hence Bloody Palace.**

 **Now I think you all get the chapter title wasn't just for Jaune. Yes Amber has been awakened, it's a miracle. I'm sorry it was totally spur of the moment but the more I think about possible plot points for this character the more I thought she just had to be there. I personally think her character is too much of a tragedy to leave her like that and while it would be cool to have Pyrrha get Maiden powers I know with her character it would eat at her and she'd be all mopy.**

 **So I had Jaune heal her, a testament to his new power and how powerful he is.**

 **With new characters I always like to add a lighthearted side to them, I think she's from Mistral and not Vale because of a few simple facts. Cinder claims to be from Mistral and at the end of Vol 3 Ruby's investigation they went to Mistral.**

 **Next chapter I wrap up the character development and fluff.**


	11. A Night To Remember

**Author's Notes:** **I think I underestimated this story, I've been on a bit of writer's break but in that time this story was bumped up to be the second most favorite DMC/RWBY crossover. I've gotten no less than three PM's from concerned fans (not including the one earlier today) wondering what's happening with the story, a flame review telling me there's too much drama and romance and not enough blood and violence (even though drama/romance are the genre tags) and** _ **another**_ **review directly after that telling the flame reviewer to take a hike.**

 **I seriously did not know people cared so much about this story. It's for that reason why I Streggae dedicate this chapter to you guys all 16,000 words and all.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: A Night To Remember**

What was everyone expecting stepping through the portal?

Well it certainly wasn't this.

"Where are we?" that question was asked by Neptune.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to casa de Sparda" Dante boomed extravagantly "or what's left of it anyway" he added softly.

Sun whistled as he looked around, they were in the common area. The roof had been broken apart to reveal an eternal orange sky. The paint had been stripped, there were debris everywhere and chunks of the walls were gone. In all it looked like the remnants of what could have been an extravagant mansion after being bombed by Dust missiles.

' _We aren't on Remnant anymore'_

Jaune looked down briefly _'Crocea? What happened to you?'_

' _I'm sorry. Reviving Autumn took a lot out of me'_

' _Yeah, how did you even do that?'_

Before she could reply Dante spoke "alright people here are the rules, follow me" he went up the stairs while everyone followed "first off we're not on Remnant, as if that wasn't already obvious" he thumbed a window where everyone looked outside to see vast, orange-red nothingness and what looks like floating debris.

"Again where are we?" Neptune repeated.

"Limbo"

Sun and Neptune's mouths dropped "what?"

"Well demons aren't the only ones who can take a part of limbo for themselves. It's literally a free space, which brings me to the first rule. See anything below? No? Then you should know that if you do fall off it's an eternal drop through nothingness, you'll literally fall for the rest of your life."

The others looked on warily before walking along as Dante continued "rule number two, if you find a door you can't open, it means it's closed for a reason and you should leave it alone. Seriously if you try to force it open the door has a spell that sends the force of the attack right back at you so don't try, got it?"

"Good now rule number three" they entered a room with debris in the corner and torn red curtains hanging by smashed and/or shattered windows "if you see anything else moving in this place aside from the people in this group you have my consent to kill it."

While everyone was rendered speechless Nora saluted "aye, aye captain!"

"Why would there be anything roaming around?" Jaune wasn't nervous just curious, really he was.

"Well you see, the reason why we had to vacate the area is because there's a demon infestation. We tried to get pest control but, eh" he shrugged "you know demons, they're kinda like cockroaches, you squash one" he took out Ebony and shot at the ground, larger spider-like demons began skittering about "and you got a whole bunch crawl out the woodwork."

"EEEK!"

The scream was followed by six perfectly placed shots to the tiny demons. Everyone stared at the carnage before turning to the source of the shots. A panting, flushed faced and slightly trembling Pyrrha Nikos who was still aiming the smoking barrel of Milo took notice of their stares.

Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder "you alright there Pyr?"

"Yes I- ahem" she straightened her posture "I'm alright I just don't do well with…. _spiders_ " she said the word with such disgust you'd think it was the Grimm.

"Okay~" Dante said slowly "moving on."

\

Vergil was on his way to the library with a few books in hand when he was called by someone.

"Vergil"

Said boy suppressed the smile at hearing her voice, he turned to see the girl saunter up to him wearing her combat attire which seemed…unnatural for her. A brown open jacket showing her chest wraps, camouflage pants and heeled boots.

"Cinder, I hope we're still on for tonight"

"We are"

They both started to walk side by side.

"I missed you the other day."

"Ah yes, I had to go into Vale to sort out some business"

"I see, well I hope it went well."

"You could say that" she answered vaguely.

Vergil took a lingering glance at her, their eyes met and he spoke "that is your combat attire?"

"Yes it is" she said though he could tell she wasn't really happy with it.

"It doesn't suite you."

"Oh?"

"Neither does your uniform. They look out of place on someone like you."

She raised an eyebrow "and what, pray tell, do you believe would suite me?"

"Hmm" he tapped his chin "I would say a dress, red or black."

Cinder chuckled "how did you come to that conclusion?"

He shrugged "you seem the type."

They stopped a distance away from the library "this is where I turn off" he said when she made to go straight ahead to the visitor's wing.

"I suppose I will see you tonight" she stated with a small smile.

"Count on it. Should I pick you up?"

"That won't be necessary, I will meet you there."

"Alright see you soon" he turned off towards the library.

The moment his back was turned Cinder also turned, her smile long gone. She had approached him as part of the rouse yet that wasn't what really had her in a foul mood.

\

 _Cinder had just visited Roman, not only to check up on how the operation was coming along but to remind him and his little trollop of the pecking order. It was so easy to say you were going to do something but is an entirely different thing to actually pull through with a threat._

 _And Cinder's threats aren't threats but promises. She isn't afraid to get her hands dirty especially with a man like Roman Torchwick under her. Unlike her though he wouldn't go in for the kill, why would he when he had the girl for it? Both of them understood though that she is willing and able to finish them and there won't be a place either of them could hide if they cross her._

 _Cinder's thoughts were cut short when her scroll went off, the number was unknown. Her eyes narrowed and shifted around the area without pausing her stride._

 _*Beep*_

" _Who is this?"_

" _ **Tsk, tsk Cinder"**_ _the voice froze her on the spot_ _ **"not even a 'hello'? I am truly saddened by your callousness. It's unbefitting of a lady."**_

" _How did you get this number?"_

 _The voice on the other end scoffed_ _ **"who do you think you're talking to?"**_

 _Point taken_

" _What do you want?"_

" _ **Oh it's not about what I want Cinder, though now that you ask…"**_

" _I have places to be" she almost snapped._

" _ **Hmph, okay, okay. You're just like Salem, so uptight. though in her case not so**_ _ **tight**_ _ **anymore"**_ _he chuckled rather perversely._

 _Cinder was practically seething now 'how dare he…'_

" _State your business or I'm hanging up" she said with much patience and control._

 _There was a sigh_ _ **"very well, I just wanted to tell you that I have sent four of my agents to assist you."**_

 _She took a silent breath "when will they be arriving?"_

 _There was a bout of soft laughter on the harder_ _ **"Oh Cinder"**_ _she had the sneaking suspicion he was shaking his head as if amused by her question_ _ **"my agents are already there."**_

 _Cinder's eyes widen. He had people infiltrate Beacon? How? When?_

" _ **Does Salem know you are fraternizing with the enemy?"**_

 _Cinder was now alarmed, he knew about that? She had only told Mercury and Emerald about it. Either Vergil had blabbed or his agent had overheard them speaking at some point, but when? The times she had seen Vergil, they were either alone or in the presence of Mercury and Emerald._

" _ **Not that I don't see the method to your madness, keep your enemies closer and all that."**_ _The voice said wistfully_ _ **"I also abide by that principle and a way for that to happen is if you get really close to your enemy. That's why my agents are enrolled at Beacon."**_

 _That's not as surprising as it should be to her because it only made sense._

" _ **Had to keep an eye on old Oz and his little protégés."**_

 _Team RWBY she realized._

" _ **And don't bother trying to find them Cinder, they'll contact you on my orders."**_

" _And when will that be?"_

" _ **When I feel like it."**_

 _Before she could give a retort the line went dead, Cinder glared at her scroll sifting through but the number was untraceable._

 _She hated that man with all propensities._

\

Dante lead the group down an extravagant corridor which was mostly intact except for the decay.

"Sorry this place isn't up to scratch but you'll find everything gets like this if it's exposed to Limbospace"

They came upon a double door and opened them to reveal a circular room with doors all around it. They walked in the middle of the room where Dante addressed them.

"Okay people here's the deal, behind me there are ten sets of doors each representing a set of ten levels. These levels are distinguished due to the rate and type of demonsinside. The aim of Bloody Palace is simple; you go in kill everything thrown at you and proceed to the next level. If you find yourself about to die or feeling winded you can say a 'safe word' and you'll be transported out but don't worry about progress it'll just transport you back when you walk through the door."

"What's the safe word?" Sun questioned.

"Devil may cry, don't ask. Also, there's a grading system from _D_ to _SSS_."

"Sounds like a videogame" Jaune commented.

Dante grinned "well, that's the idea. So anyway how are we doing this? All at once or we go in pairs or threes?"

The others looked amongst each other "who cares!" Nora yelled "I just wanna fight some demons already!"

Dante pointed at her "and that's why you're coming with me."

Nora gave a small cheer while Pyrrha observed the doors and her eyes landed on the one with the plaque _1-10_ stamped on it. She looked to her partner who figured that's where her eyes would land.

"Maybe it would be better to start from the bottom."

He smiled uneasily "yeah"

Even though he could probably handle it who knows what a level one is like for Dante's family. So far they make killing Grimm like a literal art form.

Sun found himself torn, he seriously didn't know what to expect in these rooms, the safe thing to do was start at the first door but Sun is too awesome for that probable level of combat. Besides since when has he taken personal safety into account when making a decision?

Then _10-20_?

"What do you think Nep?"

Neptune was thinking along Sun's line though he was only here to distract himself he too thought they could do with a challenge.

"I'm thinking door number 2" he finally decided.

"Psh, lightweights" Nora scoffed.

"Alright then it's decided. Oh and here's a few tips, demons are lot more durable than Grimm and they don't feel pain so always go for the kill. And please don't get yourselves killed" he stressed before heading over to his door.

"You're starting at level 30!?" Jaune questioned with incredulity.

"Hells yes, need to be this much to get a decent workout" he thumbed Nora "plus Nora came here to party" he looked to the orange haired girl "am I right?"

Said girl gave a very disturbing grin "let's **break some legs**!" she raised Magnhild's hammer form above her head.

"Please don't get yourselves killed" Dante urged before he and Nora went inside the door.

Neptune shifted uncomfortably "I'm starting to have second thoughts."

Sun rolled his eyes "dude, don't be _that guy_ okay. Now let's do this." He whipped out his staff and hung it loosely around his neck like a three-section-staff.

After they left Pyrrha approached the door and turned to her anxious partner "shall we?"

Jaune looked to her then the door "yeah, yeah let's go" he unsheathed Crocea Mors.

' _It's going to be fine Jaune'_

"I'm sure you'll be fine Jaune."

With encouragement coming from the closest women in his life Jaune cracked a smile and entered with his two partners. It felt like he was flying through a swirling vortex but just as quickly as it started, it ended and Jaune found himself squinting at the direct sunlight.

Both of them found themselves on a platform. In the distance several more floating platform could be seen. The sky seemed to be painted on an afternoon yet no sun could be seen. Before they could observe anymore of their surroundings three pitch black vortexes opened on the floor before them.

From the vortexes three demons emerged. Their heads looked like a jester's, walked on peg legs with a blade for a right arm and a burlap sack for a body.

\

"What?"

Melanie stared at her sister whose gaze while not as fierce was still unrelenting.

"Like I said, why don't we like, stay for the dance tonight?"

"I know what you said sis but _why_ would we do that? I finally got out of that crabby professor's 'punishment' so it's about time we left."

Honestly Melanie couldn't help but think they were just stalling with keeping them here until they accept enrolling.

"Well we're invited and when are we ever going to get another chance to go to an actual dance?"

Melanie raised an eyebrow "we go to parties all the time back at the Club."

Militia rolled her eyes "that's not a party, that's _work_ and I'm talking about a party with people our own age where the place doesn't smell like cigarette smoke, people aren't drunk off booze and perverts aren't trying to cop a feel."

"Sounds boring" the white dressed girl said honestly before resuming her packing.

Militia scowled "really? You're honestly telling me you like, missed that?"

"…no" she sighed.

Maybe if they were older they could have seen the appeal in those kinds of things but they've been exposed to them many times, at a younger age that they just adapted to it. Besides with their jobs as bouncers/bodyguards they never really get to 'enjoy' what those parties had to offer. They weren't meant to because it wasn't for them, it was for the customer to enjoy themselves.

Come to think of it, when's the last time _they_ enjoyed themselves? Like really enjoyed themselves without having to deal with all of Junior's or the club's crap?

She gave a look to her sister who was already grinning victoriously "I hate you."

"So that's a yes?"

She waved her hands "ugh fine! But tomorrow we're leaving!"

Her glare melted when Militia hugged her "thank you, thank you! You won't regret this I swear. Now let's go!"

"Wait what!?"

Militia scoffed "shopping, like duh. You're not really planning on wearing your combat dress are you?"

She was about to say yes but thought it over "of course not!"

\

For the record Neptune Vascillas was a lover not a fighter so it doesn't come as a surprise when fighting wasn't one of his favorite pass times. As his Gundao sliced through the reaper demon he could definitely see the appeal in a good fight.

It was a good distraction.

He ducked a scythe swing, spun and pierced his trident into its face before electrocuting it. As it turned to dust he spun again to block another swing and before he could retaliate an explosion of yellow blew it away from him.

"Thanks" he directed it towards his partner as he went to finish it off.

Sun was weaving his way past two more reaper demons back to back. Spinning his weapon in a three quarter staff form he performed a series of consecutive spins deflecting an attack and shooting it in the face, twirled and did the same before performing a back kick while blocking. His foot knocked the demon behind him a few feet as the block for the first turned to a deflection where he performed a roundhouse kick.

The body spun around and Sun separated his staff into gun-chucks and fired off a few rounds until it was dust. He did a backflip onto the shoulders of the demon that tried to blindside him and it looked up and into the barrel of Jingu-

*Bang*

The monkey Faunus landed lightly as his foothold abruptly turned to dust "done"

The moment the words left his mouth he ducked a blue ball of compressed electricity that hit a demon trying to sneak up on him.

"Dude!"

Neptune lowered his rifle and lifted his goggles "there, now we're even" he huffed lightly.

"The hell we are, I had that one."

"Then why did you say 'done'?" he raised a blue eyebrow.

Sun opened his mouth but shut it when the platform, a dark vortex appeared "another round?" he nodded to the vortex.

They were 4 rounds in and already they could see the contrast between the creatures of Grimm and demons. The things were like zombies, slow and nothing short of a headshot, decapitation or blow to the heart can kill them. Blunt force was practically useless unless you want to buy time to make a finishing blow and they are strong as hell.

In short, demons are a whole new kind of messed up. That's also why it was so rewarding when they killed them.

"Another round" Neptune agreed.

\

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted in worry aiming Milo's barrel on the demon behind her unsuspecting partner only to halt on pulling the trigger when he spun around, deflected the strike and stabbed it through the face in one fluid motion.

Pyrrha couldn't help but gape slightly at the action _'when did he learn how to do that?'_

Pyrrha had a perfect memory of everything she had ever taught Jaune and what he did there was not one of them.

"Pyrrha look out!"

Emerald eyes contracted, years of training kicked in as her musings grinded to an abrupt halt. She spun out of the path of the incoming blade fired a shot into the demons head, spun Milo around as it transformed into a sword to deliver multiple slashes at another. She backflipped away and landed Milo already in javelin form and Pyrrha poised to throw only to pause.

" **G-GURGH"**

The jester demon spasm as a silver sword stuck through its chest. That same sword retracted and in one clean sweep lopped its head off. Though instead of blood, the demon released black smoke from having its burlap sack body punctured. It soon deflated like a hot air balloon before it disappeared.

Jaune paid it no mind as he addressed his partner "you okay?"

Pyrrha blinked "yes, I am alright, and you? Are you okay?"

Jaune actually grinned "yeah, I feel great!"

He looked great and she didn't just mean his features. He was actually performing better than one might expect someone with a meager few months of combat training to be performing. Hell, up until he went into the coma he never showed this much precision and skill with his weapon before.

It would be easy to right it off as his angelic powers surfacing and it definitely showed, Jaune was faster and stronger but the champion knew it was more than that. Jaune was using actual swordplay he shouldn't have any knowledge of.

So is this a part of his angelic power as well?

Does his sudden rise in skill also count?

If so just how deep is his change if it's not just physically but mentally as well?

When all is said and done and the process is completed will there be any trace of the Jaune she knew?

New worry started to encroach upon the champion's subconscious. This was broken when a gloved hand touched her bare shoulder.

"Are you sure you're okay Pyr?" concern was laced in his voice.

"I…"

"Look if you're not feeling up for this we can stop. Just say the word."

Pyrrha stared at him for a moment as if for the first time _'he's worried for my well being? Of course he is'_ she chastised but then shook her head.

"I'm alright Jaune, you don't need to worry about me."

Jaune looked hesitant for a moment but nodded "okay, if you say so."

They both walked unto the platform to advance to the next level.

\

The platform they were on was a barren rock located in the heart of the demon world. It looked a lot like the seventh circle from the Divine Comedy, hence the reason why they're surrounded by a river of boiling blood.

Dante said it before but his dad really outdid himself with this one, he could literally smell the blood. At first he wondered if it would distract Nora and to be fair the scenery did cause her to pause and curiously inspect the place. That is, until the demons started showing up and at first Dante was a little worried for her…for but about two minutes.

Dante always wondered what kind of a person would combine a war hammer with a grenade launcher. He got his answer and it was a 'Nora' kind of person. They both killed all their demons but the difference between them was that all of Nora's demons got reduced to a fine red mist and some chunky bits. She was like a one woman demon slaughter-machine.

No wonder they got along so well despite the short time they've known each other.

Despite their above average pace things didn't get Kra~zy until a pair lightning demons showed up. That's when Dante found out about Nora's Semblance

 ***KRA-KOOOM***

Dante ducked, if he didn't have a healing factor, he's pretty sure he would be fearing for his life, this woman had no restraints.

"Nora SMASH!"

 ***BOOM***

It was a first for him really, he actually stopped fighting a while ago and took to watching Nora fighting the horde though 'fight' would be too strong a word. Massacring would be the right word to describe what Nora was doing. It was like watching a kid on the biggest sugar high in history run around a glass house with a baseball bat.

"FOUR!"

A demons head sailed at least 100 yards before falling in the river of blood with a *splash*

"Damn, Ren's gonna have his hands full with that one don't'cha think?"

The question aimed at the demon corpse he was using as a stool wasn't answered.

Dante repositioned himself more comfortably on its back as he continued "yeah, I say he'll be wearing a dress within a-oh shit"

He covered his face when a grenade suddenly blew its legs off

' _Why is it always the legs with her?'_

"Another one bites the Dust… _explosion_!"

Dante turned to the cheering girl "that one was already dead"

"No way, I saw it twitch" she argued.

"It was twitching" he started "because it had my battle axe imbedded in its _nervous system_!" at this he jerked the Arbiter's handle and the demon's arm twitched a little.

"How come its still there?"

Dante blinked and got up to look at the legless corpse _'that's a good question actually'_

He pulled out the demonic battleaxe with a wet squelching noise and watched as it disappeared. He turned to a frazzled looking Nora –whether it was from the electricity or exhaustion he did not know- and raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?"

She sucked in a breath "yeah I'm good. Still got two more belts"

Dante hadn't counted how many grenade belts she had but could guess it must be a lot since she keeps popping those suckers like candy.

"Okay but only if you take a backseat and let me work this time."

\

Amber was irrefutably bored, a few hours out of stasis and she was being confined to Ozpin's tower doing f*ck all. It's like offering a guy who's been marooned on a tropical island a coconut.

"Not that I'm ungrateful for your hospitality but can I ask why I am not allowed outside the tower?"

Glynda sighed with an apologetic expression "as you are well aware, we believe that those who ambushed and stole part of your powers have plans within Vale."

"Yeah I read about the Dust robberies."

Amber when she's not sitting by herself has been catching up on current events, apparently they've caught the 'mastermind' behind the whole thing Roman Torchwick, though Glynda among others thought it's more of a ploy.

"Correct we have reason to believe that among their plans they plan to finish what they started with you."

Amber's teeth clenched "they want the rest of the Fall Maiden power" she nodded and the maiden's eyes flashed "over my dead body!"

' _That's the idea'_ Glynda morbidly thought.

She calmed down a minute when a thought as to what the older woman was implying struck "you believe they infiltrated Beacon?"

"It stands within reason that whoever did this may want to personally oversee your demise."

Amber found that hard to believe "so they'll pose as staff, using the Vytal festival as a cover."

"They could also be students" Glynda added fixing her glasses "it is possible."

She doubted that "what's this?"

"This contains all the list of transfer students and staff that are visiting for and participating in the festival."

Amber raised an eyebrow at her "The Vytal Festival? I don't think they would show their faces to the masses."

"Why wouldn't they" the elder blonde challenged "aside from you and their cohorts no one know of their identities."

Amber pursed her lips "wait what about that guy who saved my life, Qrow. I mean it was a pretty close call so he must have seen their faces right?"

Glynda scrunched her face at that "that is true" she began as if trying to find a way to explain "but Qrow's perception at the time was…skewed, don't ask."

"Okay" she said slowly.

Fighting the thoughts of strangling a bird Glynda continued "it would make sense for them to use the Vytal Festival to strike. The good news is that we have plenty of time and even if we're wrong only a few trusted individuals know about this place."

' _That makes sense'_ she thought in acceptance and sighed looking at the tablet.

"Alright, I guess I should start since I only have…all day apparently" she said with dry humor.

Glynda nodded "I will leave you to it then."

"Wait" Glynda paused "what of the boy who _resurrected_ me?"

It felt weird saying that since she wasn't technically dead. Does resurrection even count?

Well she was basically dead and now she's awake, scared but awake and not dying.

"Mr. Arc? I believe he is with his friends, why?"

"How exactly did he revive me? He said he healed me and Ozpin said he performed a miracle. Is it a Semblance?"

Glynda looked unsure of what to tell her and when she spoke she chose her words carefully "Mr. Arc to my knowledge has recently unlocked a power that much like your own is magical in nature."

Amber's eyes widened "what?"

"I'm sorry I am not familiar with it myself so I am not really the one to tell you about it. Please review the list and call me once you've identified them if at all" with that the woman exited leaving the Maiden to her task.

Amber looked at the Scroll but her mind wasn't really on it. The reason why she was interested to know about the boy, Jaune, was because of the circumstances surrounding her awakening.

' _Maybe he can tell me who_ _ **she**_ _is.'_

Looking at the Scroll of pictures she sighed "let's get this over with."

Amber really hoped she would at least be allowed outside if she wore a cloak or something.

\

Deep within the confines of the library Blake, Vergil and Ren sat in a comfortable silence.

"I take it the mission to Mountain Glenn is postponed?" Ren suddenly spoke from his position.

Amber eyes flickered from the boy towards the platinum blonde in silent questioning.

Vergil sighed "for the moment, I still think it's worth investigating but since they are aware of our knowledge I don't think a reconnaissance team would cut it anymore."

"What are you going to do with the map?"

"I was thinking of investigating the places marked as part of our mission. In fact it's confirmed that it _is_ our mission."

"Map?" Ren questioned.

"We found a map of possible demon hideouts" Vergil informed "from preliminary reports they are just a bunch of shady night clubs and privately owned warehouses. On paper they seem legit, then again anything does when you're dealing with demons."

Blake's eyes narrowed in thought "those warehouses, who owns them, the SDC?"

"No a private company called Star Industries."

"Tch"

Vergil shared a look with Ren, given her past in the White Fang it wasn't farfetched to say that she wasn't a big fan of the SDC but really?

"I'm still looking into it though so nothing is really concrete."

She hummed noncommittally, eyes tracing the lines of the book.

"Blake what do you think of the Schnees?"

Her bow twitched, she knew where this was going "I don't know what you mean?"

"Aside from Weiss I've never met another Schnee before."

"Neither have I" she countered.

"But you've been fighting them for years"

" _He has a point"_ the words weren't spoken but Blake imagined Ren would say that, the way how he looked at her.

She sighed, what could she say? Yes she had an inherent distrust of anyone with that name not too long ago, hell she still did. She could now call Weiss her friend, it was obvious to her that there was some friction between her and her family. As for the others…

"Weiss father is president of the SDC and her sister is a specialist in the Atlesian military. There's also her younger brother and mother but they aren't really involved in anything."

That didn't answer his question but it was an answer nonetheless. Blake only knew what the public knew about them and refused to give her personal thoughts because she let preconceptions of the SDC ruin her.

"I see" Vergil sounded…disappointed.

What?

Blake eyed Vergil, wanting to ask but too afraid it would come off snappish.

Fortunately Ren spared her the effort "what do you think of them?"

"I think" Blake leaned forward minutely "that they are like every wealthy and powerful family out there."

"What?"

"Well I was doing some research on the SDC so of course the Schnees would come up and I found that they are very much a wealthy business family, at least the ones who are alive anyway"

Blake winced at that, she didn't take part in it but she still felt responsible by proxy for the assassination of some of them.

' _Along with everyone else on the floor'_

"It sometimes makes me wonder why people hate them so much but then again it is rather easy to ignorantly hate someone or something because of perceived notions"

Blake scowled a little "perceived notions?" for Vergil's sake she held her tongue, he was getting to a point she could feel it.

Vergil nodded gravely "yes, since the company is called Schnee Dust Company with a Schnee as president responsible for running the business, which means that naturally everything good or bad about the company rest solely on his shoulders."

Blake lowered her book "he could change it if he wanted"

Vergil gave her a look "you would think it would be so easy?"

"I'm sure if he tried to improve conditions in the mines"

"-then the workers would still be at risk. No offense but while the conditions aren't ideal I don't think you could make it any safer mining a volatile explosive in a cave."

Blake marked the page in her book "and the mistreatment of their labor force?"

"-isn't really his concern" Blake looked at him incredulously "with a company as large as his I'm sure he has laid out rules in which to properly treat the employees and even then it's up to security personnel to enforce those rules. In the end if the individual majority consist of those who are say…racist then…"

"Then fire them"

"Fire an entire separate labor force for misconduct? That wouldn't be good for profit which is what the business needs to keep running. Also from what I understand most dealing with security would have a few choice thoughts against Faunus because of a certain group"

"The White Fang"

"I never got the White Fang, I understand what they stood for in the past but what they're doing now, is just senseless violence for the sake of violence."

"Maybe they're tired of being pushed around?"

"Or maybe they convinced themselves that robbing and killing people would somehow benefit their people and lead to true equality. Frankly I don't see that happening and it's a wonder they don't either but anger often makes one blind and hungry for destruction."

Blake sobered at this "they're just misguided"

"All it takes to fire an arrow is to aim and let go and the SDC is a big target"

"Why are you defending them so much?"

"I'm not defending them. I'm just telling it what it is from an outsider's point of view. It helps that earth had a problem of this sort in the past."

Blake perked up "really?"

She'd heard cliff notes about their world from Dante and read Vergil's books but she didn't know about its history.

"Oh yes, earth has had a lot racism, bigotry, entire wars spanning decades and centuries were conducted from this and sometimes complete and total genocide of entire races for the stupidest things like the color of one's skin or their religion or simply because they're from a different part of the world."

Blake's mouth actually parted a little "the color of their skin? People actually start wars because of that!?"

"You have no idea, though it's not a major problem now, in fact racism is mostly abolished on earth, it's the exception not the rule and racism is universally labeled as offensive and people are ostracized because of it."

"How?"

As ridiculous as the reason is, the fact that they found common ground is what struck Blake. She understood that earth was much like Remnant without the Dust, Grimm or Aura so theoretically if she followed what they did then perhaps history will repeat itself.

"It's a process that up until a certain point would have happened here for the Faunus eventually except…"

He trailed off but Blake understood and so did Ren "the White Fang turned into terrorists"

"Exactly Ren, comparing earth's history with Remnant: they did fight in a war, they were herded to one place like animals which ended in them fighting back and there were peace groups. I'm sure that if that peace group didn't suddenly turn into a terrorist organization then there would have been more people supporting them, a few trials and tribulations, maybe an icon that represented your ideals."

He paused to imagine a Faunus Martin Luthor King Jr. "anyway going by earth years Faunus racism would have been completely forgotten in a few short decades. If that happened then the focus would have been more on internal security and of course, _the Grimm_."

Blake saw Ren's eyes widen as if realizing something but honesty she didn't know what and her mind was elsewhere.

She couldn't help but think _'we messed up'_

They were doing it right, despite everything that was happening, they were doing it right! Nothing ever came easily, you had to fight for what you believed but there's an easy way and a _right way_ and they were doing it! Then they decided to take freaking shortcut and fucked it up!

Her shoulders slumped, she used to think that Vergil and his brothers weren't hit with the oddity that were Faunus because they weren't human and fought demons but really it was because they come from _that_ kind of world.

' _Unbelievable…and all because we thought it would be better with violence.'_

It seemed so stupid now, how would attacking innocent people ever make them equal in the eyes of human oppressors? It all just seemed like senseless violence and that only succeeded in fear, hate and anger.

"Cycle of hatred"

Blake's eyes trailed to Ren who had a pronounced frown with eyes narrowed in thought.

"It never stops" magenta eyes looked to the Nephilm "but that's the plan isn't it?"

Blake blinked "what are you talking about?"

"If you're stuck fighting internal struggles then you can overlook what's happening right in front of you, even if it's separated by a wall."

"…you're talking about the Grimm"

"And demons alike" Vergil finished "it's easy to think that they are nothing but mindless creatures of violence because in truth that's only what we've seen of them. Take it from me, they come in all shapes and forms making it easy to manipulate things from behind the scenes."

If that was true then "it's all pointless" she realized "the war, the struggles, all of it was just a plot isn't it?"

"Divide and conquer" Ren added with a frown and Vergil nodded solemnly.

Blake leaned back soaking in the information, "and working with Torchwick? The Dust robberies?"

"Pawns to fuel the hatred, whatever they're planning can only end with the White Fang coming out as the villains that would only increase on the authorities cracking down on them more and that would include-"

"Faunus in general, further ostracizing them."

That made sense no one can really know who may or may not be part of the terrorist organization of a specific group of people. If that happened then it would be to a point where those who didn't hate humans would and join the fight against them.

That can't happen, Blake won't _allow_ it to. The situation suddenly became much clearer; no longer did she have to prioritize between the demons and the White Fang. The problem wasn't unrelated at all, it stems from one thing. Indeed she and the White Fang have a common enemy and it isn't humanity.

"We need to make them aware, they need to know" the solution seemed simple enough though even Blake understood it wasn't so clear-cut.

"Easier said than done" Ren intoned solemnly.

"But not impossible" Vergil said a little optimistically.

"You have a plan" it wasn't a question.

He hummed in thought "not entirely, I still have much to learn about this world on _both_ aspects. The good news is that we now have an idea as to who the real enemy is and now we can work towards ending their reign."

Blake nodded a little and went back to reading though try as she might her heart wasn't completely in it anymore.

\

" _WHAT!?"_

The shriek made everyone turn in annoyance, not that it was the first time.

Ruby looked as if he told her she had to go on a cookie free diet "what do you mean it wouldn't work?"

Nero, with fingers in ears sighed before regarding her with an exasperated look "like I said, I can't fit Crescent Rose with an Exceed system" he looked over Crescent Rose's blueprints "yep, definitely not possible"

"But-but…" Ruby scanned the blue prints again trying to find an angle "there's gotta be a way."

"Why the heck are you so hung up on this anyway? Who cares if you can't do Exceed? Why does it matter so much to you?"

They had been at this for hours now, so much so that the earliest signs of evening have begun to show. For Nero, once he had a second pair of eyes and Weiss' expertise on Dust, switching his fuel with the 'magic powder' was fairly simple enough. He didn't have to worry about damaging the metal since Red Queen was made to replicate a Devil Arm.

Eventually they got into how to fit Crescent Rose with an Exceed system. After Ruby stalled with Crescent Rose's blueprints (turns out only she and her uncle 'Qrow') and making him swear on a stack of Dust rounds to keep it a secret *rolls eyes* he went to look over it thoroughly.

What Nero saw actually shocked him and he's pretty sure even guided missiles are less complex than it.

Seriously, what the hell!?

Ruby pause to look at him and he half expected her to start gushing about how 'cool it was' on the other hand he expecting a viable explanation.

"Well, I thought it would help with getting through thick armor."

Nero blinked at her bashfulness "oh, well the only way I see that panning out is if you designed a new scythe from scratch" he rolled his eyes at the abject horror on her face "I'll help, least I can do" he added softly but Ruby caught it and grinned at him.

That's when the professor overlooking the forge came in "alright you two we're shutting down early today so you can prepare for the dance."

Two simultaneous groans were heard for two different reasons.

"Have we really been in here that long?"

Nero looked at the clock "apparently. Don't you need to get dressed or something?"

"You aren't going?"

Nero locked Red Queen in its case before giving her a deadpan stare.

"…right, dumb question." She rolled the blueprint up and slid it into a tube.

They both walked in silence for a while which must have been awkward since Ruby was fumbling to break it yet hesitant to say anything that could annoy him. Nero suppressed a sigh at this, he was actually getting used to her constant need to talk.

"Something you wanna say?"

She bit her lip "I was wondering what you were going to do since you're not going to the dance."

Nero shrugged "don't know, but anything beats going _there_ "

"Why, what's wrong with going to the dance with all our friends, eating food, listening to the music, dancing and having fun?"

"First of all, I don't dance. Second, if this is like any party I've ever been at then at some point Dante _will_ spike the punch. Third, the only loud music I listen to is on my headphones. And finally I'm pretty sure the highlight of the night for me would be watching you try to move five feet in a pair of heels without falling on your face."

Ruby blinked before muttering "I can walk in heels."

"Have you ever walked in heels before?"

"…no."

"No offense Ruby but I've seen what it takes to pull off heels and you don't" before she could retort he added "plus even if I did go, which I won't, I _know_ Dante and your sister are going to use the night to tease us about being a couple."

"But we're not-" another deadpan stare and Ruby ended up giving a miserable groan.

She wasn't looking forward to that but still "Miss Goodwitch said that it was mandatory"

"Since when have I ever listened to her?"

Ruby gave him that, she's seen Goodwitch try and intimidate him before, all it got her was a challenging glare, which earned him a slap in the back of the head from Dante and a pointed stare from Vergil.

' _Wait, that's it!'_

"Sorry you're not going. I think Vergil was looking forward to seeing you."

"Are you…are you trying to guilt trip me?"

"What no! I was just saying…"

"No you were trying to guilt trip me and you weren't even being subtle about it" he added.

"I uh…"

"If you're going to try and emotionally manipulate someone try to make it inconspicuous"

' _I thought I was. Okay, time to pull out the big guns!'_

Suddenly she was before him "please go to the dance tonight"

Nero raised an eyebrow at her pleading, opened his mouth to reject it but snapped it shut at the last minute. His eyes widened and he tilted his head a bit as if trying to understand what he was looking at.

"I-"

' _It's working!'_

He blinked "are _you_ asking _me_ to the dance?"

Ruby's large puppy eyes shrunk in direct contrast to her blush and she recoiled "w-what!?"

She looked around for anyone who would have heard that before turning to find Nero already bypassing her.

' _It was a distraction'_ she realized.

*WHOOSH*

Nero sighed with his eyes closed as the smell of roses assaulted his senses "what do you _want_ Ruby?"

Said girl stood before him, arms crossed and scowl adorned, like a miniature red Weiss with way less intimidation than she realized.

"I want you to go to the dance"

"With you?" he smirked but Ruby wasn't having any of that.

Her frown still in place she replied "you need to socialize!"

Nero rolled his eyes "no thanks" he attempted to walk away but she blocked him "move"

She ignored this "as your friend it is my responsibility to ensure that you don't end up on the path to loneliness!"

"Aah~" he facepalmed

' _I'm regretting that already.'_

"Uh-huh, can you get out of my face now?"

Ruby's eyes narrowed challengingly "mark my words Nero Sparda, I'll have you socializing with people again and I'll start by bringing you to the dance" it might have been the light but Nero could have sworn her eyes were shimmering.

Oh so it's like that?

Nero stepped closer, towering over her and in the most condescending voice spoke "good luck."

Another gust and Ruby was gone leaving a trail of petals in her wake.

Now that she was gone Nero could finally ask the question _'where the hell did that come from?'_

And before he could ponder this question his now sharpened eyes snapped to the bench where a single student was seated. With one leg draped over the other she leaned back on the bench and judging from the interested look she must have witnessed Ruby's little 'declaration of war.'

Funny, he didn't notice she was there until he sensed _something_ coming from her direction. Speaking of she wasn't looking at him but at his cast, that in itself made him less than comfortable but the way she was staring was something that made him suspicious.

"The hell you looking at?" he scowled.

Green eyes blinked a little in astonishment before her lips curved in a half smirk. She stared intently at him for a moment before he scoffed and walk away.

"Whatever"

With his back turned Nero missed the way how her smirk widened and her eyes flickered to a mismatched pink and brown.

\

Later Vergil opened the portal and the six of them exited thoroughly exhausted, sweaty (and in the case of Nora and Dante) covered in smoke and smelling like gunpowder. Yet despite all this the air was pleasant, killing demons really works for a stress reliever.

"I take it things went well"

Dante grinned "oh yeah, kicking ass and taking names. Am I right?"

He directed the question to Nora who gave an equal grin "oh yeah~" they then did a swindle slap to solidify their friendship.

Three simultaneous shudders went off in the room and another far off in the library.

Vergil looked at Dante and Nora's grinning faces with the slightest hint of trepidation _'why does this bother me so much'_

He soughed in his fist both to relieve his tension and to get eveyone's attention "I'm glad you all had a wonderful time. By the way you have" he spared a glance at his watch "68 minutes until the dance starts"

Nora gasp and before her teammate knew it she was grabbed "come on Pyrrha we have to get ready!"

"Nora wai-AAH!"

The door slammed shut as they zipped out and there was a moment of silence that was broke by Sun.

"We should probably get going, don't wanna be late for our dates-" at Neptune's glare he turned sheepish "uh oops sorry dude, it's weird being the only one of us having a date" Jaune gave them a skeptical look.

Neptune sighed "just go, I'll catch up when there's a few more people."

Sun did just that and opened the door to reveal "hey Ruby" the girl's hand was held up as if she were just about to knock.

"Hey Sun, hey Neptune, hey Jaune"

"Hey Ruby" the bluenette went by and so did Jaune albeit a little hurriedly.

When Jaune left Ruby closed the door "I need your help"

The twins eyed each other "regarding what?"

Ruby pushed her fingers together "it's about Nero"

"Aah" Dante nodded sagely "finally going to confess your feelings but you need our help right?"

"What, No!" she shook her beet red face "it's about the dance"

"You need our help asking him to the dance? That's even better!"

"Wha-but-I-I"

"Stop teasing and let her finish Dante" Vergil sighed.

Dante shrugged "alright I'll give her a break, besides" he gave her a devilish grin "the night's still young" a shiver ran up the young Huntress' spine.

"Right" Vergil interrupted "and take a bath, you smell like gunpowder, sweat and demon's blood"

*Sniff*

"Ugh, will do"

After her left Vergil addressed her "so what did you want to ask?"

"Well~"

\

"Hey Neptune"

Said boy looked back to see a familiar blonde haired boy "oh hey, Jaune right?"

"Yeah, that's me" they fell into pace together.

"So what's up?"

"Yeah, I didn't believe it this morning but, is it true you don't have a date?"

Neptune's friendly smile vanished "oh that" he sighed "yeah I don't."

"But what about Weiss?"

Neptune winced "yeah that didn't work out"

"Oh she turned you down huh?" Jaune could help but gleam some form of satisfaction from that.

Neptune saw that gleam and his pride would not have any misconceptious rumors floating around "yeah no dude. It was the other way around" now it was Neptune's turn to feel smug.

"Wait, _you_ turned her down?"

"Yep"

"Why?"

The bluenette sobered "it's complicated alright."

"What's so complicated about it? Weiss is a smart, pretty talented and a very skilled Huntress-in-training. How could you turn that down?"

Jaune missed the way how Neptune shoulders slumped at every description of the girl "like I said, complicated."

Jaune clamped a hand on his shoulder "what did you do?"

Neptune shrugged it off and leveled his own glare at him "lay off man. I didn't _do_ anything"

"No you did something. She seemed a lot angrier this morning and you guys couldn't even look at each other. What happened?"

"It's none of your business man"

That was the wrong thing to say because as soon as the words left his mouth a pressure built up caused his breath to hitch. Jaune's glare wasn't murderous but it radiated a kind of fury that was a lot more intense than anything the Mistralian had ever encountered.

"She's my best friend's partner and I'd like to think of her as a friend too" he got up in his face "and I don't like when people mess with my friends so _talk. What happened, why did you turn her down?"_

Neptune swallowed and despite the lack of physical violence, his hand twitched to his weapon but Jaune's eyes narrowed and caused him to stop. He looked around the hallway that was empty, everyone was probably getting ready for the dance.

"Look man, just let it go"

"I'm not letting this go" his arms folded "not until I know exactly why you turned down Weiss, so start talking."

Neptune looked around again but ultimately sighed in exasperation but remained silent.

"…Is-is it another woman?" Jaune was probing at this point and judging by the way Neptune's head snapped up in incredulity he had guessed wrong.

"Dude no and why is that the first thing that comes to your mind!?"

Jaune shrugged losing some of his edge "I don't know, you just…seemed the type I guess"

"Okay no I don't have a girlfriend or a side chick or whatever. I'm single"

" _For now"_ he wanted to add but thought better of it.

"So if it's not that then why? Look man I'm just trying to understand why someone _anyone_ would turn down a girl like Weiss I mean-"

"Can't Dance"

Jaune blinked…twice "uh-wha?"

Neptune curled his fist and gritted his teeth "I can't dance"

"…but you're so _cool_ "

"I know"

"But wait, _that's it_?"

"What do you mean _that's it_?"

"I mean yeah sure you can't dance-"

"Shh, not so loud"

"Right, so you can't dance. What does it matter?"

"What does it-dude I can't take a girl to 'The Dance' and I can't dance"

"So what? There's like a million other stuff to do there, did you at least tell Weiss why you rejected her?"

"…"

"I don't believe it, you had an opportunity to go to the dance with one of the greatest girls I know and you blew it over something so…argh! Do you know how many people would kill to even be in her good graces?"

"Twist the knife why don'tcha" he muttered dejectedly.

It was then that Jaune realized something "you like her right"

Neptune blinked "well yeah, I mean, we talked for a few days and at first I thought she was just like every other 'rich kid' with a trust fund but she's"

"Amazing right?"

"…yeah"

"I found out the same thing. I think we're the only two guys who managed to figure that out about her. The only difference is _you_ didn't make a bad first impression. See _you_ still have a chance"

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah, I know Weiss might seem shallow"

Neptune gave him a look.

"Okay she's a little shallow but that's besides the point which is Weiss is smart and I'm pretty sure if you explained it to her she'll _maybe_ understand"

"You think so?"

He shrugged "not really but I think she'll at least calm down if she knew why she was rejected like that. I don't think she handles rejection well"

"Yeah I could tell" he sighed "so I should probably talk to her then."

"Either that, or wait until she somehow pulls some strings and get you in the sparring arena" Neptune actually paled a little "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, trust me I have seven sisters and I've seen what happens to guys who reject them for dumb reasons" he sucked in a breath "it's not pretty."

"Duly noted"

' _Wait a minute seven sisters? What the fu-_

"So I'll see you around and with any luck we'll _both_ have dates huh" Jaune held up his fist.

Neptune chuckled and bumped it "yeah oh I've been meaning to say congratulations man"

Jaune blinked "uh thanks?

"Honestly I didn't think you'd even notice her feelings at first."

Jaune could only blink "um"

"But then I thought, nah, no way anybody's _that_ dumb not to realize when a girl has obvious feelings, especially when they're from _the_ Pyrrha Nikos"

"…what?"

"Pyrrha you know, she has fee…lings" his eyes widened "oh dude you didn't know did you"

"Know what?"

"Uh never mind" he tried to pull away but Jaune had his hand in a vice grip.

"Pyrrha has feelings for me?"

After a few seconds of struggling Neptune gave up with a sigh "yeah dude, it's actually pretty obvious"

"Obvious, who else knew?"

"Before now? You and maybe Ruby"

"Oh come on!"

 _*Sigh*_

" _Jaune you are so dense"_

' _Even you too Crocea?'_

There was a drag of silence as Jaune absorbed the implication of this new discovery.

"…we have a lot to think about don't we?"

"Yeah"

"…"

"…I should probably go before Sun uses all the hot water"

"Right see you later, I guess"

Jaune began trudging back the way he came with a single thought _'Pyrrha likes me. Like, likes me.'_

"Jaune"

"Oh hey Ren"

"Is everything alright?"

Jaune was silent for a while "Pyrrha likes me"

The boy could only blink slowly at his leader "ah"

"Did you know?"

"It wasn't my place to say"

Jaune sighed "I know, it's just…wow."

Ren could only pat him on his back.

\

Nero had been enjoying his time in solitude, that is until a certain redhead showed up "how the hell did you even find me?"

Ruby Rose stood triumphantly before him, cape flapping in the wind "Dante kept a list of all your brooding spots on campus"

' _Note to self, insert bullet into Dante's brain'_

"Yeah well you found me, now what"

"Now _this_!"

A hand patted on Nero's shoulder drawing a shudder from the boy. He slowly turned around to see steely green-blue eyes peering into his soul

' _Ah shit'_

"Vergil"

"Hello Nero, you realize what is about happen now, do you really want to try and punch your way out of this?"

He was almost tempted to try but he quickly reminded himself that this wasn't Dante he was dealing with and while the younger twin would play along Vergil would put him down with swift and brutal efficiency.

"…no"

"Good, I already bought you a tuxedo"

' _When did he get the measurements?'_

"While you were asleep"

"Urk!"

"Thank you for the heads up Ruby"

"No problem"

"Don't you have a pair of heels to squeeze into?"

Ruby's reply was to stick her tongue out at him.

\

"Are you certain?"

Brown eyes glared at the unusually tense man "she almost killed me. Trust me _that is_ her"

Amber's eyes _smoldered_ as she glared at the picture, her hands would twitch ever so often and the temperature drifted upwards.

"Her name is Cinder Fall, her teammates one Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black and Poli-"

The rest of Glynda's words became muted as Amber's glare intensified, she looked at the half smiling face of the older looking girl wearing Haven's uniform.

 _She smirked cruelly and Amber felt her breath, her life her_ _ **powers**_ _being siphoned off and as death encroach her as she passed out from exhaustion._

"Amber"

This snapped her out of her reverie and she looked on to see a concerned Glynda and a cautious Ozpin "I know what you're thinking Amber, however I cannot allow you to confront her."

This immediately set her off "the hell you won't! This is my unfinished business Ozpin"

"She defeated you before"

"No she set up an ambush and had me outnumbered 3 to1" her fists tightened "I'll be ready for her this time."

"She has your powers-"

"Only part of it!" she snapped and Glynda gave her a pointed glare causing her to recoil a little "I'm sorry about that but I _will not_ stay here while you go after her."

Ironwood decided to speak "be that as it may, the truth is we do not know what this woman is capable of now. You say you were able to hold her and her companions off, even if for a while, however she has obviously had enough time to acclimate to the Maiden's power."

"As she is now I can say that at the very least she and I are an even match" as much as Glynda hated the fact that some upstart little thief with stolen powers could match her decade's worth of training and experience she could not deny the power of the Fall Maiden.

"Also there is the third party whom we know nothing of."

This sobered Amber a little, with her situation it was impossible for them to keep the evidence of angels and demons from her.

"We will assume that Cinder and these demons are collaborating together" there was some discrepancies to be sure but right then Ozpin's voice was so filled with conviction that no one could refute his claim.

"Alright what are we going to do about them?"

Ozpin's glasses gleamed under the light of the scroll "leave that to us"

\

 **Later That Night…**

As expected the boys were the first to be ready, Ren Jaune, Sun, Neptune, Vergil and Dante dragging a disgruntled Nero all met up near the path to the auditorium.

"Seriously why the hell are you so against going anyway" a now annoyed Dante asked Nero.

The boy finally managed to pull his arm away from the elder boy and shoved it in his pocket "why the hell are you still here? Isn't Yang supposed to be greeting people at the entrance or something?"

Dante merely scoffed "oh please, you just want me gone so you'd have a chance to escape. Besides I still have 30 minutes before she and Weiss are free anyway."

At this Neptune turned to his partner "I'll meet you at the dance"

Sun shrugged "sure thing" they exchanged a clap and hug and Neptune walked off.

Before he did though he exchanged a meaningful nod with Jaune glanced at him from the corner of his eye. The blonde fixed his bowtie for the fifth time that night and swallowed dryly for the twelfth time.

"Calm down Jaune" Ren advised.

"Easy for you to say" Jaune hissed quietly "it's not like you found out _your_ partner secretly has feelings for you!" he paused "or maybe you did. Come to think of it how _did_ you and Nora end up being a couple anyway?"

"Yeah Ren" Dante piped up teasingly "how _did_ that happen?"

To Ren's credit he kept a straight face much to the Nephilm's disappointment "Nora and I aren't actually 'together-together' as she would say."

' _Bullshit'_ came Nero and Dante's immediate conclusion.

"Really, I mean you guys are always close" Sun spoke.

"And she sleeps in your bed sometimes" Jaune added.

Ren averted his eyes at that until Vergil spoke "Ren, do _you_ have feelings for Nora."

Ren could only stare and at that moment he had definitive proof that Vergil was related to Dante.

"WE'RE HERE~"

Speak of the devil

The proclamation was followed by the arrival of the four ladies to which all the boys' attention were stuck to.

Ren didn't outwardly react when Nora strolled up in a pink dress and latched onto his arm before half dragging him away with a half hurriedly "come on."

"I knew you'd look better in a tie" Blake complimented.

Sun inwardly cringed as he adjust the tie _'stupid neck trap'_

He and Blake walked off together leaving Jaune and Nero to awkwardly greet their date. In Nero's case stumble as Dante actually pushed him towards Ruby just as she almost tripped in her heels. The result was Ruby bumping into Nero's chest using both hands to brace herself while Nero held her shoulder.

Silver eyes peered at him "um, thanks"

*Click*

Two heads snapped around to see Dante with his scroll out "guess who's got a new screen saver?"

"You son of a" he reached around to grab Blue Rose only to grasp air.

Shit, he really needed to do something about that.

Pyrrha giggled drawing some attention to herself "well, well, well let's not forget about team Arkos over here"

*Click*

Speaking in the gayest tone he ever had "Pyrrha, love what you've done with your hair, very nice."

Pyrrha indeed changed her hair for the night, letting loose from her ponytail and styled it to have curls at the end.

' _Very nice'_ Jaune thought then paused, was the fact that finding out Pyrrha had feelings for him affected his perception of her?

Yes, yes it did.

Still Jaune held out his elbow "shall we?"

Pyrrha beamed at him but latched on and went away completely ignoring the sound of Scroll shuttering.

"Whelp, my work here is done" Dante commended looking at the pictures he managed to take "let's go Verg."

"I'll meet you there"

"Why, you waiting on a date?"

Vergil smirked

"No way, you actually have a date? When the hell did that happen?"

Vergil shrugged "who knows?"

Dante's eyes narrowed "uh-huh. Well when she shows up be sure to introduce me."

"Count on it brother and try not to be too jealous."

"You smug little…" the younger Nephilm shook his head and meandered away but paused a little when he saw Nero watching an embarrassed Ruby who looked like she was walking on a tightrope.

The boy swatted at him "the hell?"

"Didn't mom tell you it's a man's job to assist a lady?"

With that advice he left Nero to his grumbling. The boy really didn't want to go, if only to defy all of them and looking at Ruby trying (and failing) to walk five steps without stumbling was as good a source of entertainment as anything that would be in the party.

He sighed "I know I'm going to regret this"

"Ow, stupid-" she hissed, stumbling _again_.

It was official, Ruby Rose _hated_ heels. They hurt her feet, it's hard to walk in and if she were to be honest she was this close to-

"Told you, you can't pull off heels"

"Ah-Nero!" she straightened "hey uh, what's up?"

"You roped me into going to the stupid dance, congratulations" he began walking to the door albeit slowly.

Ruby frowned trying to keep pace with difficulties "it's not going to be as bad as you think though"

"Oh and what do you plan to do for the night? Stand in a corner drinking Punch because I know you're not doing anything else."

Ruby fumed but remained silent, glaring at the accursed things on her feet. Truthfully Ruby didn't know _what_ she would do but now everything she _could_ have done was effectively thrown out the window because of her footwear.

Seriously, why the heck couldn't she wear her favorite pair of boots? Not like they would clash with the dress and she could at least walk in them, yeesh.

Just as she thought this her heel caught in the space between the cobblestone path and she lurched. She managed to catch herself but found some assistance with a hand grasping her shoulder and setting her straight again.

"Thanks for that"

The boy rolled his eyes and positioned his shoulder "here"

Ruby stared in confusion causing the boy to sigh.

"Look, you're going to at least take another five minutes to get through that door and while I could just turn back I really don't here you and Dante whining about it later on. So do us both a favor and give me your hand so we get there quickly. The sooner I get this over with the better."

Ruby bit her lip, on one hand he had a point on the other hand the implications would be…disastrous.

After a moment she nodded "okay" she awkwardly looped her hand around his elbow.

"Relax" he practically groaned "don't be afraid to put your weight on me, trust me I could lift ten of you with one hand."

Again she complied leaning closer and Nero's eyebrows shot up, he wasn't expecting to feel _that_ sensation from her.

His cheeks momentarily stained red _'I guess she is related to Yang after all'_

"Try and keep up."

And together they walked off leaving Vergil alone, he looked back at them with an amused smile, which promptly dropped after a moment when he sighed and looked to the shattered moon.

Things were going to get worse before they get better and on that note he sighed sadly one last time before his gaze steeled and he fished out his scroll.

\

' _Alright come on, you can do this okay, it's not that bad'_ Neptune thought as he hid- _positioned_ himself behind a few well placed balloons conveniently in Weiss Schnee's blind spot.

' _Whelp, I never thought I would have ended up in this situation.'_

'This situation' being him about to publicly be humiliated but throughout all the things his conversation with Jaune had brought up, he'd agree that she at least deserves an explanation as to why he rejected her.

It's not like she'd spite him by spreading around malicious rumors now, would she?

' _Why am I doing this again? Oh right because if I don't I'll get my ass kicked by a Huntsman with angelic powers.'_

Neptune took in a deep breath "think warm thoughts' with that he steeled his resolve and walked over to the heiress making some last minute flower rearrangement that even to Neptune seemed wholly unnecessary.

"Hey Weiss" Neptune absolutely refused to stutter. He was the epitome of cool, he would not stutter, relinquish eye contact or break out into a cold sweat. Neptune absolutely refused to show weakness in the matter of utmost urgen-

Weiss turned around.

 _Why am I doing this again?_

"Neptune" the girl appraised him, revealing nothing though he could have sworn he saw _something_ in those pale blue eyes before it was masked by a cold indifference "what is it that you want?" she folded her arms.

Neptune couldn't help but admire her restraint, obviously she was more than upset with him if that creeping coldness wasn't any indication but she kept it in check.

For that the least he could do was let some of his anxiety show "I know I'm the last person you wanted to see tonight" he paused to allow her a snort or snide comment, none came, she just stood there with an almost bored expression.

' _Harsh'_ at least with the other expectation he could ascertain _how_ angry she was right now.

"I just wanted to apologize for the other night" her eyes narrowed "I'm not trying to make up or ask your forgiveness or anything like that" he quickly said. Neptune by heart was a realist, leave the optimism to people like Sun or Jaune "but you at least deserve to know the real reason I did reject you anyway."

He could see the interest in her eyes almost as much as the skepticism "before you ask, no I don't already have a girlfriend and I wasn't just talking to you for kicks either" he might as well get past those stereotypes right now "the truth is" and he looked around before continuing t which Weiss raised her eyebrows"I can't dance."

The delicate eyebrow was lowered and a very unladylike "what?" was her reply after a few moments.

Neptune sighed and looked her in the eye this time as he repeated slowly "I can't dance" he gave another sigh and shoved his hands in his pocket "look Weiss I know how this works alright and I know you probably wouldn't go for the guy who couldn't-" Neptune never got to finish his sentence-

*Smack*

On account of the hit she gave him that _was not_ a slap.

"Agh"

But was a surprisingly hard punch to the face, that he never saw coming.

As someone whose been punched in face before he could definitely say that _'she's got a mean right hook.'_

Weiss would beg to differ as she held her wrist but the annoyed expression was directed squarely at him.

"How dare you…" she spoke in a low dangerous tone "try and blame _me_ for your own insecurities."

"Huh?"

"How would you know who I would or wouldn't 'go for' as you put it?"

"I-"

"Be quiet" and his mouth snapped shut "let's get something straight here Vascillas, we've only known each other for little under a month. You don't _know_ a thing about me so don't you ever presume to know what I would or would not do in a situation. I don't presume to know you" she gave him a once over "though I could take a guess. The bottom line is I could care less that you can't dance."

He couldn't help but shuffle awkwardly as he glanced around for any eavesdroppers, there were none.

 _Strike one!_

"But apparently you do" her voice cut through his worries like a knife and he could see the disappointment.

"Uh, I messed up didn't I?"

"Clearly"

"Right" his shoulders slumped a bit, any confidence he'd built for the talk was utterly spent and he seemed very Jaune-like right then and there "I'll just get out of your hair then".

He went to turn away only to stop when she said "wait."

Turning around he saw Weiss staring at him intensely "where do you think you're going?"

"Well I-I" he fought for words but found none.

 _Strike Two!_

"It doesn't matter" she stepped closer "what matters s that you humiliated me and for a very asinine reason."

' _Humiliated? ASININE!?'_ he thought, nervousness replaced by outrage.

"Worry not though, I won't hold it against you" she said imperiously.

Neptune was suddenly feeling wary "um, okay so we're cool then?"

Weiss nodded with a smile, a very dangerous smile that had Neptune feeling cautious "yes we are very _cool._ "

It might just be his imagination but Neptune could have sworn he saw her breath at that last word _'was it always this cold.'_

"In fact I will even help you?"

Neptune blink, forgetting the cold for a minute "y-you will?" a feeling of dread crept upon him.

If anything Weiss' smile widened a bit and she nodded "of course I can't have my date not being able to _dance_ " she rolled her eyes when she saw his dart over the vicinity "as such I think a lesson is in order."

That dread further permeated and Neptune swallowed "you mean right now?"

There was a glint in her eyes as she replied "why that is a wonderful idea Neptune" the boy paled "unless you would rather not afford my assistance and continue on by yourself."

And at this point Dante would comment that she had Neptune 'by the balls.' She gave him the ultimatum that would either make or break their relationship. There was no turning back, no negotiation, he would either take her offer, starting an intimate relationship with her and be humiliated in public or walk away, retain his image but effectively botch any further interaction with Weiss.

Objectively he should walk away as no one girl would be worth the fallout his reputation would take in the wake of that decision. Not to mention the uncertainty of a relationship with her in the first place, not even taking into account the distance but also the political backlash of being _Weiss Schnee's_ boyfriend.

Subjectively he liked Weiss, he liked her snow white hair, perfect pale skin, her various dresses that gives her a aristocratic image, the scar that perfectly depicts the warrior in said princess-like image. He liked her attitude, he liked her intellect, (and even though it's a blow to his male pride) he liked the fact the she was able to put him in his place and he liked the fact that she's put him in a position to _actually think_ about this decision in the first place.

In the end he thought _'fuck it'_

 _Strike Three!_

And said "thanks I'd like that"

The smile that adorned her pale features was worth the oncoming humiliation before she said "great!" and dragged him onto the dance floor.

Somehow through the throng of people just filling in he spotted Jaune Arc who sported a small smile. The blonde nodded respectfully at him and Neptune returned the gesture then he saw Sun's expression and kind of sis a half shrug to which the monkey Faunus did a small salute.

\

"What are you doing?"

Sun looked at his date "just saluting a fallen soldier"

Blake raised an eyebrow at that but then she saw the blue haired boy being dragged through the crowd by her teammate with a smile that, if Blake were to be honest, frightened her. Blake's sympathy goes out to him.

\

Meanwhile, if Jaune were to somehow attain the power to go back in time he would use that opportunity to punch himself in the face for every time he flirted with Weiss in front of his partner. Now that he actually knew what to look for Jaune found himself wondering how he missed the now obvious signs that Pyrrha was interested in him.

Personally he blamed his family, between his father's advice, his mother's coddling and his sisters' unique personalities it's a wonder he couldn't differentiate between a girl giving subtle signs of interest and just being a really good friend. He made the mistake of messing up those signs once before and he didn't need his already 'stellar' reputation with the ladies to be any worse.

"Jaune, are you okay"

' _There it is again!'_

He's heard that same phrase from so many different girls (namely his mother and sisters) that he wouldn't think much of it but there was just something _extra_ when Pyrrha said it. Maybe he's just over thinking things because he knew about her feelings or maybe she's just concerned about his weird behavior, he didn't know.

What he did know was _'all you need is confidence son.'_

He had to give his father props for the vagueness of that advice, from a strategist point of view he did a good job a inspiring quote without actually answering his question back then. Take what you will from those words and use it wisely, Jaune didn't and ended up making an idiot of himself. Now he knew better, now he knew when to use that advice because _now_ he had a reason to be confidence and _now_ he knew what _confidence_ is.

So he gave Pyrrha a sincere smile "yeah I'm alright" and with a flourishing bow "my I have this dance milady?"

Pyrrha giggled into her hand before daintily accepting his hand "why yes Mr. Arc I would love to."

Ignoring some of the nonplus looks he whisked her away while maintaining the smile on his face. If there was one thing Jaune was very confident in it was his skills on the dance floor.

\

"What's taking them so long?"

"Relax, he's probably just stalling"

Yang turned her lilac gaze towards her date for the night and wondered not for the first time how he could be so calm. Yang herself should also be calm but there was something about leaving her alone with Nero that made her sibling instincts flair up as if _knowing_ he was a…a threat.

' _Gods, is this what dad feels like?'_

Yang wasn't nearly as unreasonable as to think anything would actually _happen_. Nero didn't think of Ruby that way and she had a feeling Ruby wouldn't think that way of him for a while to come. So far it's a journey for both of them and if Yang were to be honest _that_ isn't the part of their friendship that has her instincts set to keep her at a distance.

There will always be a part of Yang that wouldn't trust the little brat (and for good reason), not just for the obvious but there was a deep underlying reason for it. People don't act like Nero because of simple teenage angst, she has been and still is an angst-filled teenager and from what she's seen of Nero Yang couldn't help but feel there was something _wrong_ with him.

There was something wrong with the three of them on a whole and not just because of their heritage.

"Here they come" Dante interrupted her thoughts

She saw him take out his scroll just in time for the doors to open and what Yang saw put her previous thoughts on pause. There standing right before her was her not-so-little sister holding onto or more like leaning on Nero's shoulder. Nero himself seemed to be making a conscious effort to be mindful of Ruby which confused her until she saw her stumble in her heels causing him to react in a vaguely concerned way, right before straightening up and pretending _that_ didn't happen.

Yang felt her lip quirk, she knew she should be the 'older overly protective sister' but for some reason seeing not only Ruby but also _Nero_ fumble his way gave her…hope? Was that the word or was it perhaps satisfaction? Then it finally dawned on her, why Dante wasn't overly worried about Nero as she was with Ruby. It wasn't because he was a _boy_ , it was because Dante knew that deep down, beneath all the angst, attitude and demonic power he was _just like Ruby_.

A socially awkward 15 year old stumbling through adolescence, basically two sides of the same coin. He couldn't take advantage of Ruby not because he didn't _want to_ but because he literally _couldn't_. In fact she could even go as far as to say that Nero is as harmless as Jaune with the added benefit that he could actually have her back in a fight.

The only real problem was his unresolved issues and the fact that they'd get in more trouble but (and its somewhat depressing to admit it) that is something completely unavoidable with her and her team in general. Between criminal masterminds, terrorist organizations, supernatural conspiracies and regular teen drama Yang realized she's out of her depth here.

She realized this a long time ago but some part of her just wouldn't let it go but now seeing that the person closest to her age who may or may not become someone truly important to her, actually shows he care…well what should she do about that?

The only things she can "oh my god, you guys are _so cute!_ " be the supportive sister she has been.

It was then they looked to the other 'couple' and frown/pout as they approached and Ruby relieved herself of Nero's elbow to approach her sister "how does Weiss fight in these things?"

"Dante get that camera out of my face before I shove it-" Nero actually cut himself off, breathe in deeply and walked away with a hand in his pocket and a noticeable slouch towards the balcony.

Dante turned towards them and sighed "I should probably keep an eye on hi-"

"I got it" Ruby interrupted, taking careful steps in Nero's direction.

"You might wanna grab some punch before you go" at her questioning look he added "just trust me alright?"

Ruby nodded and kind of half walked half wobbled away with a mutter of "stupid lady stilts"

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing" he replied innocently.

Yang's eyes narrowed "Uh-huh just remember I'm keeping my eye on you"

"Yeah sure, I'll be at the punch bowl if you need me" he waved her off while whistling a tune.

Yang stared after him until he disappeared into the crowd and turned back to what she was doing, greeting people with a smile.

Though that smile was almost wiped off at the next pair to enter "what are _you_ guys still doing here?"

Melanie was starting to regret her decision to come here already "obviously we're here for the dance" she answered in annoyance.

Yang was oddly enough not bothered by her tone "I thought you two would have left by now."

"So did I" she glanced at her twin who seemed preoccupied with eyeing the crowd.

She must have found what she was looking for because her features brightened a little before she said "I'll catch up with you later Mel, have fun!"

"What!?"

But she was too late and her twin was gone to where she knows not.

"Looks like you just got dumped" Yang smirked.

"Shut up, it's your fault we were in this mess anyway"

"Hey I wasn't the one who threw the first plate" Yang defended.

"I'm not talking about that, ever since you showed your face at the club our lives have gone down the drain."

Yang's brows furrowed a little "you know if it weren't for me and Dante you would still be serving a bunch of demons" she continued in a somber tone "trust me you don't want to know what happens to normal people after hanging around them for long."

Melanie stared at her for a while before sighing "whatever" she glanced around a little "where is Dante anyway?"

Yang was instantly suspicious "why do you want to know?"

Melanie rolled her eyes "are you kidding me? He's the only other person I know here and I'm not in the mood to meet new people."

Yang raised an skeptical eyebrow but answered anyway "he's by the punch bowl"

Melanie folded her arms and walked away with her nose up in a very Weiss-like manner.

' _Weird how those two haven't met each other'_

\

Mercury fixed his tie for the sixth time that night and for some reason it annoyed the hell out of Emerald.

"Would you stop messing with it already?"

The merc simply grunted "why don't you mind your own business. I don't see you having any problems"

"Speak for yourself" she said playing with the hem of her skirt.

' _How does Cinder fight in these things?'_

Come to think of it how do most huntresses fight in dresses anyway? Oh sure they're called 'combat skirts' but seriously, and for girls who do physical combat, how can they fight properly when they could be exposed at any moment. As a thief Emerald didn't wear skirts because of practicality but personally she was just uncomfortable in the damn things.

And the reason why she was practically forced to wear something like freaking dress was _so_ stupid she had half a mind to throttle the nearest thing that pissed her off, her eyes flickered to Mercury adjusting his tie again.

Yet _another_ thing to be feeling upset about, of course she understood the reason behind it but Emerald had to ask herself _'why the hell am I going to a school dance with this asshole?'_

Its times like this in which she envied Cinder, not only was she unbothered with the dress she wore but she would be spending her time with more tolerable company. Then again anyone would be more tolerable than the merc, even the ice-cream midget who was currently on the enviable mission of infiltrating the CCT.

' _Lucky bitch'_

Emerald would've loved to be there right now and was even the first to volunteer but it would've been weird if there whole team didn't show up. whatever, as long as they didn't have to talk to those preppy Hunter wannabe's she could grin and bear through the night.

Then there's the added bonus of knowing they were about to pull one over their eyes with the CCT though if she were honest she would much prefer Cinder to be the one doing it than silent-but-deadly. The last thing they need is murder mystery case on their hands.

Then they stopped or more specifically Cinder stopped and she and Mercury followed suite.

"Headmaster"

At that word she felt Mercury tense and she unknowingly did the same, the trepidation in Cinder's voice wasn't imagined and looking past her at the man standing before them she couldn't help but feel something akin to fear. Ozpin the somewhat eccentric headmaster of Beacon Academy, she's seen him around campus before, she's seen photos and in each one he always somehow maintained an air of content. He was always seen with a small smile that seemed paternal, even grandfatherly if you were young enough.

This was _not_ that man.

Ozpin's expression was stone-faced, devoid of any and all emotions. Though he was still immaculately dressed with his spectacles present, he held his cane gripped by both hands before him as he stood tall and peered at them.

"Is there something I can help you with?" the trepidation in Cinder's voice was not imagined.

Something was wrong.

"You overstepped your bounds" he began "we know who you serve Cinder"

Emerald couldn't see Cinder's expression but she could see her hands curl into fists before the ground shifted and rose to bind all three of them in concrete.

"It would be in your best interest not to resist" Glynda Goodwitch walked out from the shadows, riding crop directed at them as she regarded all three coolly.

Emerald was panicking now but it wasn't over and at the multiple gun cocks and red dots started trailing their bodies she knew it was all over for them.

"We have you all surrounded" General James Ironwood himself with pistol pointed at them along with several soldiers and snipers.

They were officially screwed, fighting one of these three veterans would have taken all Cinder's skills but all three? Emerald wasn't delusional enough to think her boss could take on all three, at least not as she is now.

And Ozpin summed up her thoughts in two words.

"It's over"

To her shock though, Cinder started chuckling, it was low at first and the only sign was the sudden movement of her shoulders before she started to straight up laugh in their face.

"No Ozpin, it isn't over, it is just beginning" her tone was light and Emerald shared a strained yet confused look with Mercury, he too had no idea what was going on and judging by the layer of concrete on his feet they did their homework.

So if he wasn't their scapegoat what was-

Before her thought was completed the world warped before their eyes.

\

"Punch?"

Nero still leaning over the rails looked to his left to see a cup of the fruity drink then he looked into the eyes of the pale faced slightly smiling girl and raised an eyebrow.

"That depends was Dante around the Punch bowl?"

Instead of relief he clicked his tongue but took it anyway "too bad, I could use a drink"

Ruby did not know or wanted to know what that meant and took a leaning position over the rails "so~"

"Five minutes"

"Excuse me?"

"That's how long I'm going to bother staying until I get out of here" he watched her from the corner of his eye "unless you have some brilliant idea of what I can do."

"Oh, uh~" she looked to see everyone dancing and/or laughing inside "I guess not" she said sadly.

Hell, with the way things are Ruby isn't so sure she was going to stay much longer either. Movement caused her to turn around and see Nero standing on top of the rails.

"See ya"

"Wait"

"O~kay"

"I'll go with you"

"Really? You're not going to stay and have fun with your sister and some soon-to-be-drunk 17 year olds?"

Ruby blinked at that "no and I can't really do much in these things."

He shrugged "alright then, let's go" hopped down.

Ruby looked down at her heels in irritation to which Nero rolled his eyes and after adjusting the swing picked her up by the waist and swung her to the ground. It was such a smooth and fast transition that Ruby could only let out a faint "eep" before she planted on the other side of the rails.

"Let's go"

Ruby stood there dumbfounded for a moment before shaking her head "right, so where are we going?"

"Dunno, but it's probably best to get as far away from there" he thumbed the party "as possible."

"Why?"

Nero glanced at her "ask your teammates tomorrow morning."

She might just do that.

"Whoa!"

Her heels caught on something and she almost tripped to which Nero grumbled "okay that's it" and proceeded to use his foot and break her heels to make the shoes instantly flat "you'r welcome by the way."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because you were already clumsy why add to it?"

"I'm not clumsy."

He didn't even deign to give that a response and walked away.

Ruby hurried after him picking up the broken pieces of the heel "Weiss is going to be really angry you did that. She got me these for this night"

"So I don't give a f-" he cut himself off and stopped walking before running.

"Hey" Ruby was quick to follow and though she felt sorry for Weiss gift she was silently grateful for what he did.

She slowed down a little when she saw where he was headed _'the CCT?'_

If she was confused then she was even more confused by the fact that the front was empty _'aren't there supposed to be like soldiers guarding here'_

 _Then_ she saw Nero kneeling behind the bushes "what's wrong" she gasped upon seeing the unconscious guard with the cracked visor.

Nero eyed the building and adjusted his sling "you better call your locker" he said taking out his scroll.

"Way ahead of you" she said already putting in coordinates.

\

' _What the hell am I doing?'_

That was the question Cardin asked himself as he leaned in a secluded corner of the ballroom watching as everyone else had fun.

' _I should've left with the others, let Dove handle this crap'_

A few moments ago his team decided to ditch the party, he decided to stay (god knows why) and now he ended up sulking in a corner.

Why?

Because of the same reason why any guy would jeopardize himself for no logical reason, that blue haired guy is a good example. Yep all because he got it in his head that he would somehow end up with a-

"Hey you"

Speak of the devil.

His head swerved to the left to see the short hair, short girl in a red dress with black highlights "you made it" he sounded disbelieving.

"Well yeah, didn't I say I would be here?"

' _Doesn't mean you weren't lying'_ he gave her a wry smile.

"So like, wanna dance?"

"Uh, sure"

"Hey, you need to like lighten up Cardin. You're only young once you know."

"…yeah" he said smiling a little more confidently while eyeing some of the disbelieved looking people around.

For some reason it irked him _'like they never saw a guy with a girl before'_

Or maybe it was because it was Militia, that was definitely it but you know what? Screw those guys and screw his team, backstabbing bastards. Here he is on the dance floor with the hottest girl he knew that actually gets him, there is literally _nothing_ that could go wrong here.

Then his eyes caught Jaune's as he and a dazed looking Pyrrha danced closer. They stared for a moment before the blonde gave him a respectful nod which Cardin returned. That was the first time they interacted since he saved his life and Cardin found himself grateful to him.

\

Underneath the Headmaster's tower was a room fitted with all manner of convenience to occupy someone's need including a holo-tube, refrigerator, coffee machine and even a minibar and yet all of this was ignored by the room's occupant. Amber wasn't one for modern conveniences in the first place, one would think it was because of her powers but really she preferred nature.

Amber was the type of woman to take a stroll than watch TV, feel the wind on her face as opposed to air-conditioning and riding her horse to driving. The bottom line is

' _I shouldn't be here'_ she thought pacing _'I should be out there fighting with them. At least I want to see the look on her face.'_

Suddenly she stopped _'what was that?'_ she looked about the room while taking out her staff.

There was _something else_ in the room with her, she could feel it like the prickling on her skin. It made her uncomfortable, she knew it was something dark, something _magical_ but what she wasn't sure.

*Clank*

She spun around the fire crystal on her staff pointed at the source of the disturbance. What she saw was a literal crack in the wall but that couldn't be right.

* **CRACK***

It became more pronounced and soon the crack started traveling to the ceiling but Amber felt something else going on and soon realized that the entire room was changing. Black ooze like soot developed on the ground, the air was tinted darker, she saw the refrigerator compacted like something big stepped on it, the mini bar exploded yet the contents floated in mid air, the paint peeled off and the room and finally with a twisted cracking noise the room expanded.

At this point Amber was shaking "wh-what is this?"

" _ **Amber** "_ it was a rasping noise coming from the very air itself.

Her eyes widened with fear "who are you? What do you want from me!?"

There was a grotesque cracking noise and she gasped when monstrosities started to claw their way out of the ground. She looked to the door only for it to seal itself and the monsters within and finally she got her answer to the previous question she asked, carved out in the very walls of her once thought secure room.

 _Your Death_

 _To Be Continued_

* * *

 **Author's Notes: and the award for longest chapter to date goes to…**

 **Lots of things covered here, mostly fluff and some other stuff I like to write multiple scenes since I kind of get bored sometimes and having characters of different perspective spices things up.**

 **Relationship-wise Dante and Nora are now bros, Blake has her priority straight as she and Vergil have unwittingly roped Ren into a conspiracy (Ren- "I thought we started this club to read books"), Jaune and Neptune are now bros, the former now aware of Pyrrha's feelings for him, the latter now reconciled with Weiss, Nero ended up going to the dance with Ruby (arguably my favorite pair to write, Devil's Rose 4 life!) and in the spirit of Shrek Cardin** _ **actually gets the girl.**_

 **Now unfortunately this will be the last chapter of the year and also this will be the last chapter even remotely close to canon. Remember when I said there was going to be a divergence? Whelp this story just went** _ **off road**_ **and yes I am going to be including stuff from Vol. 4, so until next time.**

 **Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.**


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